Set Me Free
by RedLion2
Summary: AU. When a suspense novelist loses her husband in a tragic motorcyle accident, she leaves California for Michigan and her two best friends, meeting up with another friend of theirs who is struggling through his recent divorce. 1xR
1. Chapter 1

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Well, you know me. I just couldn't wait to get this story rolling. To everyone who made Trapped in Violence such a pleasure to write (GoldAngel2, Starlight-x, WolfZero, Lilangelita, Jero, Morrighan of Crimson and Sable, Pureevil230, Alix, Kopakanuvafan20, Trinara, Jen23, and Inda – you guys all made my day each and every time you reviewed) I thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy this A/U just as much.

Set Me Free

Prologue: No More I Love You's

California, June 9

Matthew Darlian waved to his secretary and left the office building where he worked as a financial consultant, his motorcycle helmet tucked firmly beneath his right arm. It was nearing dusk; he could sense the nightfall and smiled, for it would be a warm night, a night perfect for being with his wife. When his cell phone shrilled with impatience, he glanced casually at the ID and a smile broke over his ruggedly handsome face.

"Hey, beautiful. You finally finish that chapter?" There was light teasing in his baritone, and he knew his wife of eight months would be smiling.

"Well, yes and no. You know how I work," Relena Darlian said, sighing as she gazed at her glowing laptop screen. "I was hoping for a distraction, actually." She stretched her free hand over her head, wincing as her back cracked. She'd definitely been sitting here too long.

"Really. Well, it _is_ going to be a perfect night...I suppose we could take the bike up to Sunny," Matthew said, stopping beside his Harley and gazing proudly at it. Its coat of maroon and white paint glistened in the waning strands of sunlight, and its chrome sparkled like quick silver. He grinned.

Relena stood and stretched again, glancing at the sunflower clock in her office. "Yeah? But won't it be too late?" She knew Matt hated taking the bike out after dark; he always told her nighttime riding was a danger he didn't want to confront.

"Nah. Come on. The lake'll be warm by now. Let's live a little."

The warm smile in his deep voice was enough to convince her. "Okay. Pick me up?"

"Definitely. Give me, ah, about ten minutes."

Relena frowned. "Better make it twenty, hotshot. No more speeding tickets, remember? You promised." There was gentle reproof in her sweet voice.

Matthew sighed, over-dramatically. "Fine, honey. In twenty." He started to hang up and heard her call out his name, almost frantically. "What, sweetheart?" he asked, suddenly worried. His wife was the biggest klutz in California – she might've fallen, knowing the continuously cluttered state of her office.

"I love you." Her voice was quick with heat, and Matthew smiled to himself.

"Honey, that superstition isn't true," he told her, remembering the first time she had told him about it. The superstition went that you had to tell your beloved "I love you" every time you parted company, whether in person or over the phone. If you failed to do so, your beloved would die within the hour. It had been passed on from generation to generation in Relena's family, the Peacecrafts, and they religiously followed it. "Nothing would've happened to me," Matthew added.

"You don't know that. Love you."

"Love you too." Matthew hung up and tugged on his helmet, then swung his leg over the seat. As always, he felt a surge of power just from sitting on the Harley. He reached out to start it and swore lightly when his phone went off again. But it was his wife, and he didn't want to ignore her. "Hey, babe."

"I forgot to tell you. Sean called and wants you to stop over on your way home. He said it's important," Relena said and walked out of her office. If she was going for a ride, she needed something on that was more substantial than a tank top and cutoffs.

"Okay. Gotta go, sweetheart." Matthew shut his cell and revved up the bike, placing the cell back in its holster and wondering what his best friend wanted. Realizing too late that they hadn't exchanged their required "I love you's," he shrugged and rode out, not hearing the ringing of his phone.

Sean lived out of town almost six miles, his cabin snugged into the foothills of the mountains. The road was winding with some sharp curves, and Matthew relished the chance to push his bike a little harder. He had competed for years in motocross, had still been competing when he'd first met Relena, his freshman year of college.

He smiled, because he always smiled when he thought of her. She was good friends with Duo Maxwell, another rider he was friends with, and Duo's girlfriend, Hilde Scheibiker. Duo had set them up, and for Matthew, it had been love at first sight. Her honey-blonde hair, petite frame, and the most amazing violet-blue eyes had just sucked him right in. He'd been a total goner.

They were quite alike, and yet different. He was quick-tempered, while she was laid back. He liked living at a faster pace; Relena liked things slower, because she was curious. Nosy, as he always told her. She wrote suspense novels for a living, and she had already been on the New York Times best-seller list twice, which was amazing at her young age of twenty-five.

It was funny. He'd never actually read any of her work, even though, obviously, it was good. It was just one of those things he was continuously putting off. He was a busy man, but no one doubted his level of commitment to his wife. Relena meant the world to him.

The sports car came out of a blind spot on the tightest curve, and Matthew reacted on instinct. There was no time for second thoughts, no going back on the decision. The Harley snapped to the right, wheels touching dirt for split seconds before launching into the air. A collision was imminent, and Matthew braced himself. No time to jump. No time to cry out.

Only time to see the large tree his bike was shattering into.

_Relena..._

**Gundam Wing**

Michigan, June 9

"Come on, Yuy. How often does Quatre offer to buy dinner?" Duo Maxwell asked, a grin on his tanned face. He wiped an arm across his forehead and waited for his quiet friend to speak.

Heero Yuy shook his head. "Sylvia's making dinner. I want to surprise her, since we're done early." He turned away, then added over one broad shoulder, "You should go surprise Hilde."

"Yeah, maybe so." Duo glanced toward their boss and friend, Quatre Winner, and a grin broke over his face. "Maybe she can go with us. Quat won't mind." He started toward Quatre, then stopped when his cell went off. "Hey, baby. What's up?"

"I'm going out with Dorothy tonight, sweetstuff, so you're on your own for dinner," Hilde, his wife of two years, said, and he could hear the grin in her voice.

"Oh yeah? Not a problem. Quat's pickin' up dinner for us tonight," Duo informed her, sauntering towards his friends. "Behave yourself. I know how you and Dor get."

"Oh, come on. We're no worse than you and the guys, sweetie." Hilde walked out to her Blazer and got in. "Don't wait up."

Duo's smile became a smirk. "Since when do I stay up? I know how you are. Have fun, babe."

"You too, hotstuff. Love ya."

"Love you too." Duo closed the phone with a snap and grinned at his boss. "Okay, Quat, I'm all yours. Hilde's goin' out with Dorothy."

"Her?" Trowa Barton, a good friend and coworker, was surprised. "I didn't think they got along." There was skepticism in his visible emerald eye.

Duo shrugged a big shoulder, stretching the cotton of his tight blue muscle T. "Ah, you know chicks. They fight, they get over it. So, are we leavin'?"

Wufei Chang, the hot-tempered Chinese man who had moved to their town of Minersmith, Michigan, two years before with his wife, Dr. Sally Chang, snorted. "It's like you're starving, Maxwell. We just had lunch a couple of hours ago." There was a hint of derision in his strong tenor.

"Yeah, so?" Duo shrugged again. Quatre Winner, owner of Winner Cement and Construction, shook his blonde head, his bright aquamarine eyes gleaming in amusement. While his company was small, with only four full-time employees besides himself, he was happy and content, and his crew was hard-working and honest. They were also his best friends, and Trowa was his brother-in-law.

"Alright, Duo. We can go. Is Heero coming?" Quatre asked, turning his gaze to the stoic young man with wild chocolate hair.

"Nah. He's going home to surprise Sylvia." Duo grinned and gestured towards Quatre's big midnight-blue Ford dually. "You drivin'?"

"Sure." As his friends climbed into the wrecking ball on wheels, as his wife Cathy was fond of calling it, Quatre glanced around the site, noting what still needed to be done. The house was nearly finished; they could have the electricians come in tomorrow and wire the place. He smiled and turned away. It would be good to relax and hang out with the guys.

Heero watched the massive truck drive out and nodded when Quatre waved. He was a great guy to work for. Heero pulled on his helmet and swept some dust off the seat of his Kawasaki ZZR. The burgundy street bike glistened under the warm June sun as he swung a long jean-clad leg over the bike and settled down, reaching to start it. The bike growled with a throaty response, and he smiled.

He had grown up loving motorcycles, having gotten his first dirt bike at age five from his Uncle J. And he'd never looked back. He owned four bikes altogether, but the ZZR was his newest one, a virtual baby just waiting to be broken in. Heero drove off the site and turned for home, suddenly anxious to see Sylvia, his wife of a year and two months.

Blonde and beautiful, with deep midnight-blue eyes that sparkled when she laughed and glittered when she was mad, Sylvia was his everything. They had met shortly after he'd moved here and gotten a job with Quatre. After dating for only eight months, Heero had asked her to marry him, and they'd been wed only three months later.

It wasn't all bliss, of course. Sylvia's father, Carter Noventa, was the owner of Shining Sands Hotel, and the head of the school board. A big man with expensive tastes and a penchant for spoiling his only child, Carter had not been happy with his daughter's choice of husband, and made no effort to hide it.

But Sylvia didn't care. She was Heero's world, and she loved him. And he loved her, giving her all the love and affection he possibly could. In a world slowly spiraling into the depths of chaos and corruption, dysfunction and madness, their marriage was a safe-haven, a place where they could both rest and catch their breaths.

It was with these thoughts that Heero pulled into his driveway and parked in the garage. A storm was making trouble out over Lake Michigan, and it would undoubtedly make its way to shore. Not that he minded; they could definitely use some rain. He hung his helmet up next to the other three and left thebuilding.

The house was quiet, save for the hum of the central air conditioning unit, and Heero paused, frowning. Where could Sylvia be? She was quiet, but she should've been making dinner. There was steak defrosting in the fridge, so she was thinking about food, at least. Before he could call out her name, he heard noise from out back, on the deck.

Moving that way and listening hard, he heard Sylvia's voice and caught the whisper of another, deeper one, making his blood start to boil. Then they were laughing, and he was at the slider door.

"Syl."

"Heero! Oh, God," the pretty blonde said, standing up and hurrying to him. She had heard a bike, but hadn't figured it would be him, since it was so early. Her blue eyes were wide and he could see her obvious surprise and distress. He also saw the blonde-haired man who'd been kissing her.

"Sylvia—"

"Do not talk to her," Heero ordered, cutting the other man off with cold contempt. "Syl, get in the house." Heero began moving toward the blonde, his fists clenched, his arm muscles tightening.

Sylvia grabbed her husband's left arm and tugged. "Heero, please, don't. Let me—"

He glared at her, his Prussian blues hard with barely-controlled rage. "Get in the house. Now." His voice had gone completely flat. Monotone. She knew then that she couldn't stop what was coming.

The blonde man seemed to realize he didn't have a chance, either, and tried to jump off the deck. He nearly made it, but Heero was quick and grabbed him, jerking him backward so that he fell to the floor of the hardwood deck, landing on his back. Heero stood over him, his muscles hard and tensed, his heart hammering in his strong chest.

"Please, don't—"

"What? Kill you? I have the right," Heero muttered and bent down, hauling the man to his feet. The blonde cowered, and Heero's last barrier of restraint went down. He hit the man twice in the face and once in the stomach, his fists burying deep and driving the wind from the blonde's chest. Again and again, Heero hit him, seeing only red in his gaze, until at last some control kicked in and he backed away, dropping the man, who slumped to the floor, out-cold and bloodied.

Sylvia crept around Heero and stared down at the battered body of the man she'd been kissing. A slow anger began to burn in her heart as she turned to her husband. "Why, Heero? What right do you—"

He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her hard, his grip painful. Sylvia's midnight eyes widened and she struggled to get free even as he shook her harder. "H-Heero, stop! Please!" she cried out, and it was like a spell breaking over him. Heero released her and backed away, shaking his head, not wanting to believe what he had seen and done. "Heero?" Sylvia sensed the great confusion in him and tried to calm him, but he turned away, not able to deal with it.

"Heero, please, talk to me!" Sylvia urged, chasing after him. She grabbed onto his right hand but he pulled away from her, his eyes flaring in anger at the unwanted contact. "Baby, please--"

He whirled on her then, ignoring the pleading look in her luminous blue eyes. "Do not call me that. You have no right. Who is that guy? Who is he?" His voice edged on razor ice, and she swallowed hard. How could she tell him, when it would only hurt him?

"Heero, I didn't want you to find out like this, really. I, he...I'm in love with him, Heero." Her voice had gone deadly still, and her eyes were empty.

"How long?" Heero leaned back against the slider door, trying not to come unhinged again. Had he really been this ignorant? How could he have not seen this coming? Surely there'd been signs..."Sylvia."

She sighed, not wanting him to know anything. It was all her choice to do this. "Three months. I met him out at the golf course. Heero, please, don't make this any harder on us. I, I want a divorce." There was no guilt in her voice, no remorse.

"Have you had him...have you had him in..." He just couldn't bring himself to say it, even though he wanted to know.

"No. It's always been somewhere else." So she respected their house, but not him. Heero sagged and closed his eyes. Sylvia's countenance softened. "I am sorry, Heero. I should've told you. I just – there never seemed a good time."

Heero sighed and looked at her, his dark blue eyes completely emotionless. "This was a hell of a way to find out."

She hung her head, blonde hair swinging forward to hide the face he thought he had known so well. "Will you do it, Heero? Sign the papers?"

"You have them already?" Anger traced each word as his eyes narrowed. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Awhile. Heero, I can't – I can't live like this anymore. Jason and I, well, we're better-matched." Her eyes begged him to understand, but how could he? What did she mean, exactly?

"Better-matched? As in he has money?" Heero couldn't stop the bitterness from invading his voice. "So he's the kind of guy your father wanted you to marry. I get it."

_I get it._

"Jason is a good—"

"Stop. I don't want to hear it." Heero left the deck, knowing that to stay would only bring about his violent side again. But Sylvia wasn't about to let him walk away. No, she never let him back down from a confrontation. She was like her father in that way.

"Just sign the papers, Heero. You'll get the house—"

"I don't want it."

"I don't want to fight. Please." She sounded tired, worn-out, and for a few seconds, seconds that passed by too quickly, he had the desire to hold her, to kiss her, to tell her that this was just a nightmare, that they would wake up and everything would be fine. But the moment passed. She didn't want his comfort. She didn't need his love.

So be it.

He wanted nothing from her, either.

"Leave the papers on the dining room table. When I get back, I want you both gone." He strode toward the kitchen door.

"Heero, that isn't—"

He stopped, glanced over his big shoulder at her. "You owe me." Then he was gone, striding out to the garage, yanking one of his helmets down, reconsidering, and setting it back on its peg.

No helmet.

Not tonight.

The roar of the Kawasaki Vulcan filled the garage before the black bike tore out of the building like a crazed phantom, spewing granite from beneath its tires. Heero rode low, no leather, no helmet.

There was only dark rage.

And a winding road.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Well, there you have it. I am so excited about this story, even more so than I was about   
Trapped in Violence, so please, if you like what you read, leave me a review.

Thanks,

RedLion2


	2. A Friend, Indeed

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter One: A Friend, Indeed

"Relena, darling, how are you?" Anne Khushrenada asked as she gazed out on the Golden Gate, a pencil bopping against her chin. "Have you finished your new chapter yet?" She knew she was pushing the younger woman, but she _was_ Relena's agent. Pushing couldn't be helped.

Relena sighed and gazed with weary eyes out her front window. It was gloriously sunny, with a slight breeze, but it did nothing to lift the perpetual gloom the young writer found herself in these days. Eight months. Eight long, tortuous months. Without Matt.

Without any happiness.

And Valentines was two days away. How was she ever going to get through it? He had always spoiled her, but on V-Day went all out, with flowers, candy, carriages and horses, spa treatments, shopping sprees...and last year, a wonderfully expensive trip to the Virgin Islands. Not that all the money mattered – it didn't. What had mattered was all the thought he had always put into it.

All the enthusiasm.

"Darling? Are you there?" Anne, sounding concerned.

Relena sighed again. "I'm here." And that was about all she could say at the moment.

"The chapter?" Anne was pushing. She always did.

"It's finished. It's bad, but it's finished." Relena was so tired. It was absurd, really, seeing as how she spent most of her time sleeping, thanks to the sleeping pills her doctor had prescribed for her eight months ago. And she was still on them.

"Well, that's a start. I'll come by tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow's not good."

"Relena, no day is." Anne paused. She wanted to be sympathetic, really she did. But Relena was wallowing, turning completely in on herself, and that wasn't at all healthy. "When's the last time you went out?" the agent asked softly.

"I don't remember."

"Then it's time you did. I'll be over tomorrow at eleven. Be ready." Anne hung up before Relena could protest. She wasn't about to let the honey-blonde lay around and waste away.

Relena frowned and set her phone down. Go out? Why? What was the point? She had no interest in anything like movies or shopping. Since Matt had died, there was little point in her life, even.

Her mind strayed again to the bottle of sleeping pills on her nightstand. It would take no effort whatsoever to just swallow three or four more than were allowed. _Coward._ _I'm such a coward. If I mean to be done, I should use one of Matt's guns. _But she knew she'd never be able to pull the trigger. She couldn't bear the thought of missing or aiming badly and winding up in a hospital bed being fed by an uncaring machine.

Better to swallow the pills.

When her doorbell buzzed, she didn't want to answer. Had Anne read her mind and come to rescue her? Anne had the creepy capacity to gauge Relena's thoughts sometimes. When she heard the door open, she didn't bother to panic. If it was a thief, maybe he'd just shoot her. It was worth the wait to see who had just walked into her house.

"Relena?"

"Sean? In here." She pulled herself into an upright position but attempted no other improvement. She looked like a mess. And didn't care.

Sean Harris walked into the living room and stopped, gazing down at her with concerned dove-gray eyes, eyes that had the ability to glint silver when his emotions were running high. "Honey, come on. You need to get out of the house." Above her weak protests, he simply reached down and scooped her up, and carried her into the bathroom. Relena sat on the toilet seat and watched as he ran a hot shower for her. "Get in," he directed and left the room, and with a big sigh she did just that.

She had to admit, the steamy water felt wonderful. But where was Sean planning on taking her? He'd been a Godsend these last eight months, right by her side through everything. But that didn't mean she wanted to go out.

There was a knock and then Sean slipped in to lay fresh undergarments and clothes on the sink counter for her. That had embarrassed her at first, his going through her personal things that way, but after the sixth or so time she'd gotten used to it. She stepped from the shower after he'd left and dried off, then dressed. Brushing through her long hair, she tied it up in a ponytail and left the bathroom, knowing where Sean would be.

"There, honey. That's much better," he said when she joined him in the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Ugh." Relena glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I don't need this."

He eyed her for several seconds. "No?"

"No."

"I promised Matthew I'd look after you if anything ever happened to him. So that's what I'm doing." There was a firm tone to his voice, one that she knew all too well. Sean Harris could be a very stubborn man.

"Anne's dragging me out tomorrow." Her words were short, clipped, abrasive. "You don't need to be here."

"After eight months, you still don't want help." Sean sipped his coffee. "You're so stubborn." _And so beautiful._

Relena tossed her head. "Leave, Sean. I have writing to get to." She left the room, making her way to her office. Settling herself in front of her laptop, she knew there would be no words today. There had been few words since last June.

Finishing that last chapter had been pure torture.

She felt Sean's presence before he spoke. There _was_ a small degree of comfort knowing that he cared enough to check up on her, but she still found it irritating. Why was everyone so darned concerned?

Well, she _was_ contemplating suicide.

But never seriously.

"Come on. I've got my new Corvette. You haven't ridden in it yet." Sean's voice was coaxing. He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. "Relena, don't make me use force. I hate doing that to you."

"Then don't. Sean, really, I don't want to go out. Its cold—"

"It's about fifty-five. It's not cold."

"And I really have to work—"

"Later. Get up." He pulled her chair back and spun it around, leaning down so he was in her face. "I mean it, honey." Now there was an edge to his voice, and his eyes had a burnished glint in them. Neither made her feel comfortable.

"Fine," she huffed and stood, but he didn't back away, instead placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm only doing this—"

"Please. Spare me the boy scout routine." She broke away from him, only to find herself in his very tight grasp. "Sean—"

"Listen to me, little girl. You need to stop living in the past. Matthew is dead. He died. But you didn't. So get over it." His eyes were quicksilver, bright and snappy, and his tone was harsh. Relena's gentian eyes widened. Never had he been so openly brutal with her. She felt her cheeks flame and tried to pull away again. "Relena, stop it. I won't let you do this anymore. Matthew would want you to be happy."

Tears that had gathered at his earlier words now broke down the dam she'd been trying to build and cascaded down her porcelain face. Her body shook as she cried, and Sean gathered her close, resting his chin against her hair. "Shh, little girl. I'm here. It's going to be alright now."

Relena breathed deep, trying to calm the raging emotions. She couldn't let herself fall apart like this. Struggling against Sean's hold, she lifted her head, locking eyes with him. "Please, let me go," she whispered, and he heard the pain in her words.

"Shh, stop crying, honey. It's all going to be okay." And she might've believed him if his mouth hadn't suddenly captured hers in a kiss that was deep and demanding, his lips hurtful and cold. Relena gasped and jerked backward, but Sean's strength was too great for her. "Don't fight me, honey. I know you want me," he growled, and she realized that he was for real. He honestly thought she cared for him in that way.

"S-Sean, please stop. Y-you're scaring me," she pleaded, but his anger was burning through him, frying away his rationale. Was this really happening? Was he going to try and—

"I've wanted you for so long, Relena. Don't fight me, or I'll hurt you." His voice was icy, and she shuddered. There was no one to help her. He backed her against the wall, pinning her, and she saw that he had no control. What could she do? She was no match for his height and size, and she knew that if she managed to escape, he would just run her down anyway.

"Sean, please, no," she whimpered as he leaned in close, his breath hot and wet on her cheeks, her eyelids, her lips...

"You know you want this," he murmured just before he tried to shove his tongue into her mouth. Relena gasped and tried to push him away, tried to pull away, tried to just _move_ so she wasn't so close to him. Her fear escalated into terror as his weight held her captive against the beige wall, and she closed her eyes, not wanting to watch this. But when one big hand dropped to her chest, she couldn't handle it.

"Matt!" His name broke from her mouth as Sean's had slipped away, and the cry seemed to shock him. He staggered back, reaching up to drag his hands through his unruly black hair while Relena dropped to her knees, sobbing, her head in her hands.

Even now, eight months after his passing, her late husband was still her protector.

Sean was breathing hard, trying to rationalize what had just happened – what had been _about_ to happen. He had always admired Matthew's wife, had enjoyed her company, and eventually, had realized that he wanted her for himself. But this was stupid. He should have taken her somewhere, to Europe, maybe, and wooed her. To do this – well, it had been meaningless.

And he had blown his chance.

"Relena. Honey, come on. Look at me," he coaxed, crouching down in front of her and stretching his left hand out to smooth her honey-blonde hairthat had escaped from her ponytail away from her face.

"Don't touch me." Her hand came up to block his unwanted touch, and her voice was weak but cold. "Leave."

He frowned. "Relena, I'm sorry. Things got out of hand—"

"Leave!" Now there was a touch of hysteria that made her voice boom, and he got to his feet, a sneer on his lips.

"Fine. But I will be back, honey."

Relena didn't move until she heard the front door slam and his Corvette start up, and then she shakily climbed to her feet, breathing hard. She staggered to her office chair and dropped into it, her hands coming to her face as her tears continued. Why was this happening?

When her cell rang, she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. She was in no shape for a conversation. But duty had her reaching for it; it could be Anne, or her editor, or the reporter from the LA Times.

It wasn't any of those people.

It was someone she realized that she desperately needed to talk to.

"Hi, Hilde."

**Gundam Wing**

Hilde Maxwell smiled when she heard Relena answer, but the smile faded as she discerned the tremble in Relena's voice. "Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Duo turned from the fridge to look at his wife, a frown spreading across his face. He wished that Relena wasn't so far away; they had been to visit her only twice since Matthew's death, and they both wanted her closer so they could take care of her. Not that she was helpless, not by any means, but Duo felt that she needed someone to lean on, someone who really knew her.

Not those phony and snooty book people she hung out with.

"What? He did _what_? Oh, Relena..." Hilde's voice held an edge of panic, and Duo crossed the sunny room to her, putting a finger beneath her chin and gently lifting it so he could see her sapphire eyes. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" Duo whispered, worried. Hilde had tears in her eyes, and that was unacceptable. Nobody made his wife cry.

"Relena, I'm going to let you talk to Duo, okay?" Hilde passed him the phone and turned away, rubbing at her eyes. How could Sean have done something so cold and cruel?

They had only met him a few times, but there had been something unpleasant about him that she and Duo hadn't liked. She sighed and glanced out the window. It was actually sunny today, the warm rays glinting off the banks of snow that lined their driveway. She turned back to her husband, hoping he could come up with something. Relena couldn't stay out there by herself with that man prowling around.

Duo's face had darkened, and his left fist was clenched. "Relena, Hilde and I are coming out. What? Listen, honey, I'm not leaving you alone right now. We'll catch the next flight out. I'll let you know what time we'll be in. Take care of yourself 'til we get there. Lock all the doors and windows, okay? We'll call soon." He hung up and set the phone on the table.

"Sweetie?" He looked over at Hilde and opened his arms, inviting her in. "We can't leave her out there, Duo. She doesn't have any real friends in California."

"I know. That's why you and I are going to convince her to move back here. This is where she belongs." There was strong conviction in his deep voice.

"What if she doesn't want to?"

"Doesn't matter. Her friends are here." Duo kissed her inky hair and released her. "You start packing. I'll call for a flight."

"What if _I_ want to call for a plane?"

"Fine. We just need to get ready," he said, turning away.

"Duo, I'll pack. You call." Hilde knew she shouldn't be joshing with her husband right now. He was stressed and concerned.

"Okay." He picked up the phone and went searching for the phone book, his cobalt eyes narrowed. Hilde walked down the hall to their bedroom and pulled out a navy blue suitcase and began gathering clothes. She would be more excited about going if it weren't for the fact that this trip was necessary, and not for fun. In fact, none of their trips to California had been for fun, because Matthew and Relena had been married here, in Minersmith, before moving out to the Golden State.

"Our flight's at eleven tonight." Duo walked into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. "I want to kill him."

"I know, sweetie."

"It's what Matthew would want."

"I know. Should you call Quatre and let him know you won't be there tomorrow?" Hilde sat down next to him and laid her head on his strong shoulder.

Duo sighed. "Yeah, probably. Not that it really matters. We're just finishing up interior work on the Brooker home." He wrapped his left arm around his wife of three years and tugged her closer to his side. "What a jerk. I swear, if I see him—"

"You mean Sean, right? And not Quatre?" Hilde couldn't help but tease him a little. He needed to relax.

"Very funny. Finish up and I'll take you out for dinner." He kissed her and stood up.

He had better call Quatre.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Wow, I can't believe the response I've gotten to this story so far. Thank you for all the great reviews! One quick note: an anonymous reviewer said something about me "assassinating" Sylvia's character. First off, I think Sylvia is actually a very strong character. Not everyone can stand up to Heero and call him a coward. Second off, I wanted to use another woman from the anime. And third off – well, she's not all heartless. You'll eventually see what I mean. And I know this chapter was all Relena, but you'll see Heero in the next one.

Thank you so much for your support so far. If you keep it up, I promise to update at least once a week...or at least close to that. I do have two small children!

-RedLion2


	3. Trying to Find Their Way

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

This chapter is dedicated to my friend, WolfZero. Don't worry, Wolf...I will always find time to update.

Set Me Free

Chapter Two: Trying to Find Their Way

"So where is Duo today?" Trowa asked as he measured for trim around a kitchen window. During the long and sometimes harsh Michigan winter, Quatre and his crew moved to indoor work, such as this: finishing summer homes for the wealthy families who came in fevered droves from Detroit and Chicago during the warm weather.

Quatre helped Wufei lift some lumber out of the way. "Do you remember his friend in California? Relena?"

"Her husband was killed in that accident last year." Trowa nodded once. "I remember."

"She called yesterday. She's having some, uh, problems, so Duo and Hilde flew out there last night." Quatre didn't know exactly what hadhappened to Relena, but from Duo's short, growling tone, it hadn't been good.

"That's too bad. I know Duo said she's having a really rough time," Trowa said and turned back to his job.

"Yes, she is." Quatre had talked quite a bit with the chestnut-haired man about his and Hilde's novelist friend. He felt very sorry for her. He couldn't imagine ever losing Cathy, his spirited wife of the last two years.

He would be completely devastated.

"Heero, Sally wants you to come for dinner tonight," Wufei said, glancing toward the stoic, silent man. Heero gave no indication that he'd heard his friend, and Wufei sighed in exasperation. "You know, not every woman is—"

"Shut up." Heero sent a chilled glare at the shorter man, his Prussian blues dark with anger.

Wufei was about to retort when Quatre grabbed his arm and shook his blonde head at him. "I'm tired of it," Wufei whispered, highly irritated. Heero, in the last eight months, had completely turned into a hermit, and he practically refused to spend any time outside of work with his friends, particularly if their wives were present.

"I know," Quatre whispered back, a troubled glint in his aqua eyes. It had been extremely hard on Heero to lose Sylvia; Quatre mused that it would've been easier for his friend if his wife had died, rather than cheating on him. It was the ultimate betrayal. But he had come to the conclusion that if Heero wasn't ready for help, they couldn't give him any.

"You don't have to whisper," Heero said, driving in some nails with expert swings of his hammer. "You won't offend me." His tone was low and dead.

Wufei snorted. "Don't worry, Yuy. I could care less about offending you."

"Good." Heero turned his back on them. He knew they were worried about him, even the Chinese man, for all his blustery talk. But he didn't need their concern. And they all had someone to worry about already, someone to love and protect. He was completely mortified to feel tears in his eyes, and dashed a hasty hand over them, hoping no one noticed. _Stupid._ _Stupid and weak. I don't need a girl._ But even as he thought it, his heart thudded heavy with pain, and with longing.

He missed having a woman to take care of.

It was just that simple.

"Heero?"

"What?" he snapped, glaring over his shoulder at Quatre.

The blonde flinched. "We're breaking for lunch. Do you want to come?"

"No."

Wufei threw his hands in the air. "See? Why bother asking him? He always says no."

Quatre smiled patiently. "He'll say yes sometime, Wufei. Come on." As they walked past Heero, Trowa at their heels, Quatre added quietly, "At least take a five minute break, Heero."

The chocolate-haired man grunted but kept working. _Finally._ _Some peace._ Trowa was quiet, but Wufei and Quatre usually talked. _At least Duo's not here._ Heero frowned at his thoughts. It wasn't that he didn't like the other men. In fact, he liked them a great deal. They were like brothers to him, and that was why they were trying so hard to get him out of his slump. Unfortunately, he just wasn't ready to leave it. Not yet.

But he knew he'd have to make some type of effort, because his caustic manner was beginning to not only really grate on his friends, but it was hurting their wives. He hated knowing that Cathy, Sally, Hilde, and Middie felt bad, because he honestly enjoyed all four of them. They had all been great since the divorce, and all the way through it, as well, bringing him food and lending sympathetic ears.

Heero sighed and set down his hammer. He took a Coke out of the cooler Quatre always kept at the job site and took a long, deep swallow. He wondered how Duo and Hilde's friend was doing. Relena. It was a very pretty name. It had been too bad about her husband. According to Duo, the guy had been an excellent bike rider, and the accident had seemed somewhat suspicious. _I wonder whatever came of that. I wonder if they did any investigating._

His cell rang and he glanced at it, contemplating whether or not to answer. He picked it up and saw that it was Sally, Wufei's wife. _I don't really want to go over there, and I know that's why she's calling. _He sighed. Maybe it was time to start living again, just a little. He didn't want them to give up on him.

"Hey, Sally."

**Gundam Wing**

Relena saw Duo and rushed at him, needing to be held by someone she trusted. He caught her up in his arms and swung her around before setting her back down. "You've lost more weight," he scolded, frowning at her.

"Oh, Duo, stop." Hilde pushed her husband aside. "Come here, honey." She gathered the honey-blonde close to her, rubbing her back. "Just ignore him."

Relena smiled, tears gleaming in her gentian orbs. "Thank you for coming. Come on. You must be tired."

"Are you crazy? Of course we had to come. No one hurts you and gets away with it." Duo couldn't keep the anger out of his baritone. He had always been protective of Relena, ever since their school days. She was the sister he'd never had, but had always wanted. Not that she needed another brother; Milliardo, her older brother by four years, had always been there when she really needed him, but now he was an engineer, and was working over in Germany. He couldn't just up and fly home to help her, much as Duo knew he'd like to.

Relena blushed and turned away. "About that. I guess maybe it wasn't such a big—"

"No, Lena. Don't ever take something like that lightly." Hilde reached out and took hold of the other woman's arm, stopping her. "He attacked you, sweetie. And if he comes around while we're here, Duo and I will kick his butt." Her sapphire eyes fairly glittered.

"I...I just don't know why he did it." Relena shook her head, and her voice held a bitter sadness. "He's been so good to me. Why would he do it?"

Duo stepped between the two girls, wrapping his left arm around Hilde's waist and his right around Relena's shoulders. "Come on. Let's get out of here." The airport was busy, even this early in the morning. "We'll talk about it a little later." Both women were upset, and he wanted to calm them down.

But Hilde was right.

If Sean so much as showed his face, he'd be dead.

**Gundam Wing**

"Thank you for dinner, Sally. It was great," Heero said, and there was an actual ring of enthusiasm in his voice. The blonde doctor smiled.

"Thank you. We're glad to have you, Heero." She sat down and glanced at her husband, who was staring at his tea cup. "So how have you been, really?" she asked, turning her attention back to their guest.

Heero shrugged, his countenance revealing nothing. "Getting by, I guess." There wasn't much else to add.

"Have you, well, have you thought about starting to date?" Sally asked, sensing her husband's angry look without having to see it. She knew Wufei didn't want her interfering, or "meddling," as he insisted on calling it, but she cared about Heero. They all did. They wanted him to be happy.

Heero's Prussian blues flared for a moment, betraying his surprise at the personal question. "No, I haven't."

"Woman, it's too soon for that. I told you," Wufei said. "Sorry, Heero." There was irritation in his voice.

"Wufei, I was just asking—"

"Really, it's alright." They both looked at Heero, who had a contemplative look on his face. "I hadn't really given it much thought, Sally, but...I don't know. I don't think I'm ready."

Ready to give another woman his love.

Or his heart. Well, what was left of it.

Wufei shot Sally a triumphant look, but his dark eyes softened when he saw the pain in her sky-blue orbs. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

Stupid, stubborn pride.

Heero sensed that the couple needed alone time, so he stood up, giving Sally a very rare, especially these days, smile. "Thanks again."

"I'll walk you out." Wufei opened the front door for him and followed him out onto the porch. "I'm sorry if that was awkward. She didn't mean any harm." He felt the need to defend Sally.

"Don't worry. She's just concerned." Heero glanced up at the silver moon, so cold and intimidating in the February sky, and resisted his natural urge to shudder.

"We all are." Wufei wasn't sure what else he should say.

Heero nodded and put his hand out for the other man to shake. "I know." He took a deep breath. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Drive careful."

"I will."

Wufei waited until Heero had backed his Wrangler out before going back inside. Sally had cleared the dishes and was putting them in the dishwasher, her back to him. Wufei walked over to her and reached out, catching her arm. She swung around, her startled gaze seeking out his.

"Come on." He led her from the kitchen and into the living room, where he sat in the recliner and pulled her into his lap. Sally was quiet; no doubt she expected him to chew her out for meddling in Heero's love life, or lack thereof, and he cupped the left side of her lovely face in his warm hand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scolded you for what you said. I know you're just worried about him," he told her softly, and his deep obsidian eyes matched his tenor. "Forgive me."

Sally smiled and stretched her right hand out to rest on his strong chest. "I forgive you."

"Thank you." Wufei ran his left hand up her neck and into her golden hair. "I like when you leave your hair down."

"I know." There was an inviting gleam in her eyes, and his heartbeats quickened. "I love you."

Wufei could only nod, as his throat had closed up. He couldn't believe, sometimes, how strongly he felt about her. Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her closer to him until his mouth could meet hers, his kiss gentle and tender. Though hot-tempered by nature, the Chinese man was always gentle in his affections, knowing what he had.

"I couldn't ask for a better wife," he softly told her, and she smiled, touching his handsome face.

"And I couldn't ask for a better husband, dearest," Sally said, leaning in for another kiss. It was more insistent than his had been, and Wufei knew what she was asking. He broke the contact and stood, carrying her in his work-hardened arms toward their bedroom.

This was the part of arguing that he liked best: making up.

**Gundam Wing**

"I don't know what to do." Relena sighed and stirred her flavored hot chocolate. "What if he does it again? I mean, I was lucky he stopped this time."

Duo exchanged a look with Hilde. "Lena, we want you to come back with us. You can stay with us until we find you a place," he said, leaning toward her over the table at the book store.

She frowned, shaking her head. "Duo, I'm not running away. That isn't—"

"Honey, that's not running away. It's being smart," Hilde interrupted, reaching out to touch her hand. "We want to help you."

"But my life is here, Hilde. My agent is here, my publisher, my—"

"Friends? Relena, these people don't care about you like we do," Duo argued, his deep voice growing a little louder. "What if Sean does try it again? You need someone to watch out for you. Hilde and I want to do that."

"Please, Lena? Come back with us. One of our friends is a real estate agent. She can find you a great place," Hilde said, trying not to sound like she was begging. On the other hand, if that tactic worked—

"Let me think about it. You guys don't have to leave right now, do you? Could you stay at least until tomorrow?" Relena asked, and they could see the distress in her violet-blue eyes.

"Of course," Duo reassured her, a smile on his face. "We don't want to pressure you. Well, maybe a little."

Relena smiled in relief. "Come on. Why don't we go see some sights? Unless you're too tired—"

"Us? Never. Lead on!" Hilde said, grinning. The two girls headed out to Relena's Mini Cooper while Duo bought some candy bars for later. He knew Relena would go back to Michigan, because he wouldn't give her a choice in the matter. Matthew would've wanted his wife removed from a potentially dangerous situation, and that's what he was doing.

As they drove around, he listened to the girls talk, and his heart ached for the honey-blonde. She was such a nice, sweet person, and had so much to offer a guy, that it was a crime she didn't have anyone. But maybe it was too soon for her to start looking. After all, she and Matthew had been such a perfect match, and he didn't want to rush her in getting over his death. But, still—

"What?" Relena sounded almost upset, and Duo frowned, leaning forward. It gave him a chance to stretch a little – the backseat of the Mini wasn't overly accommodating to his six-one frame. "Hilde, I'm not—"

"Lena, I was just asking," Hilde protested. "Don't take my head off, okay?"

"Well, of course I'm not ready to start dating again. And even if I had been, what Sean did—"

"He's a jerk, Relena. You need a nice guy, one who will take care of you, cherish you—"

"Hilde, I'm just not ready, okay?" Relena sounded frustrated, and Duo squeezed her shoulder.

"Hilde's not saying you have to be, honey. We just don't want you judging every other guy by what Sean did. That's not fair."

"I know, but there aren't very many decent guys out there, Duo. I mean, I had Matt. No one can top him," the honey-blonde said. Hilde bit her lip and glanced back at her husband. Duo saw the question in her blue eyes, and a slight smile lifted his mouth.

They knew one guy who could match Matthew.

And then some.

"They're out there, Lena. You just have to know where to find them," Hilde encouraged, smiling. "But you don't have to look until you're ready." And Hilde knew Heero wasn't ready yet, either. They had both been hurt, and they were both still healing. She had no desire to rush either one of them.

"I know. And I promise, when I'm ready, I'll let you both know." Relena turned toward her house. She didn't really consider it her _home_, though, not anymore. A home was a place you shared with your beloved.

_Beloved_. A sharp pain went through her body at the stray thought. If only she had told him she loved him. _Matt. I miss you so much._ Anne had told her the pain would go away eventually, but Relena wasn't so sure. It seemed to be getting worse.

_Matt, help me. Please. Please._

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: I've never had such an overwhelming response to a story before. You guys are awesome! And see? You all review, and I update quicker! Yay! Seriously, thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. This story is going to be somewhat angsty, and it's going to be quite awhile before Heero and Relena fully get together, but just hang in there. I promise, it's going to be a suspenseful, wild ride!

-RedLion2


	4. Her New Start

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Three: Her New Start

Relena finished packing her third suitcase and paused to glance around the bedroom. Was she really going to do this? _Could_ she do this? Leave behind the place she and Matt had called home? Of course, she didn't have much choice in the matter. Duo had actually threatened physical harm if she wouldn't come with them...not of course that she'd believed him. Not for one second.

"Lena? You almost ready?" Hilde peeked her head into the room and sighed when she saw how dejected her friend looked. "We should be going now," she added softly, knowing this wasn't easy on Relena.

Duo had rented a U-Haul truck and they were going to drive back to Michigan, with him in the truck and the girls in the Mini. Quatre had assured Duo that he could take as much time as he needed to get back, and Hilde wasn't working, so they weren't in a real hurry to leave, but Hilde knew her husband didn't want to be gone too long.

Relena sniffled once and got to her feet. She smiled at Hilde, but her gentian eyes were pained. "I'm all set. I can always have Anne and her husband send things later." The honey-blonde walked over to her friend and glanced once more around the room, trying to push away the crushing sadness that threatened to overtake her.

"It'll be okay, Lena. You'll see," Hilde whispered. Duo came up behind them, resting a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Okay, ladies, let's mount up. It's a long drive." He had really wanted Relena to fly back with them, but she insisted on bringing some of her belongings with her, and he couldn't begrudge her that.

He got the girls settled in the Mini, his eyes warm as he smiled at them. Hilde winked at him. "Stay close, sweetie. We don't want to lose you," she teased.

"Yeah right. No way you're losing me," he said. "Lena, don't get too far ahead, okay?"

"I won't." She started the little silver car and sighed. "Am I right to do this, Hilde?" she asked as Duo walked back and got in the truck.

Hilde reached out and squeezed her hand. "I think so. We've missed you so much, and you'll love our friends." _Especially one in particular, I'm hoping._

Relena nodded and after checking to see if Duo was rolling, she put the Mini in drive and left the driveway, feeling like her heart was about to snap in two.

**Gundam Wing**

"So they're bringing her back here?" Cathy asked, glancing over her shoulder at Quatre. Her husband was getting a salad together.

"Yes. And Duo said something about you finding a place for her." He finished the salad and carried it to the table. Cathy came over and sat down, and she blushed when the blonde winked at her. It was amazing how he still affected her, even with such a small gesture. But then, she did think he was the hottest guy she'd ever seen, with his bright blonde hair and those big, aquamarine eyes—

"What?" She realized she'd been caught daydreaming again.

Quatre smiled and poured some ice water for her. "I said it will be nice getting to know Relena. Duo and Hilde are always going on about her."

"Oh, I know." Cathy took a bite of her steak and chewed it slowly. "You don't think they'll try to set her up with Heero, do you? I mean, it hasn't really been that long."

"No, I don't think so. I mean, they'll meet each other, certainly. I think Duo and Hilde will just let it go from there." Quatre too had wondered about it, but he knew Heero was in no shape to try dating yet. And guessing from what Duo had said, Relena wasn't either.

"That's good. Heero shouldn't be rushed."

Quatre smiled. "You're such a mother hen."

The redhead narrowed her periwinkle eyes a little. "Well, someone has to look out for him." She was two years older than Quatre and the others, except for Sally, who was actually four years older, and she had taken on the mothering role of the group. Quatre loved to tease her about it.

"I agree." His cell rang and he frowned, reaching for it. Seeing that it was Trowa, he answered. "Hi, Trowa."

"Hey, Quatre. I was wondering if you guys wanted to go snowmobiling tonight." Trowa's voice was quiet, but there was restrained excitement in it.

"Sure. What time?" Quatre knew Cat would want to go – she loved sledding.

"Eightish. We're meeting out at Heero's."

"Oh. We'll see you there." Quatre hung up and smiled at his wife. "We're going snowmobiling out at Heero's."

"Wow. That's great." And it really was. It meant that Heero was at least attempting to come out of his self-imposed exile of the past eight months. Cathy knew he blamed himself partly for the divorce and Sylvia's actions, and some of the blame probably did belong to him. But whatever it was that he'd done wrong in her eyes certainly hadn't justified Sylvia's cheating.

"Trowa said we're meeting about eight."

"Good. That gives us a couple of hours, then." Cathy hated being rushed, and didn't really take well to sudden scheduling changes. Quatre had learned that during their one year of dating and nine month engagement.

Quatre nodded and settled down to eat. It had been a long day, and a little snow recreation was exactly what he needed.

**Gundam Wing**

Sean stood outside Relena's door, pondering what he should do. It was Valentines, and he was certain she wouldn't have gone out. V-Day had been hers and Matthew's special day. He narrowed his gray eyes and pounded on the door again. "Relena!"

When no one answered, he went to the garage and walked in. No Mini Cooper. _Where is she? She wouldn't have told anyone what happened, would she? _Anger began burning in his eyes, eyes that now glinted silver in his agitation. Well, one person for sure would know where she was.

**Gundam Wing**

Anne Khushrenada smiled lovingly at her husband, Treize, admiring his dark eyes and hair. It seemed like forever since they'd been on a date, what with their work keeping them busy. Treize smiled back at her. "What are you thinking about, my dear?" he asked quietly.

"About us. About how much we needed this."

Treize frowned and steepled his fingers. "I know. And I'm sorry, sweetheart. I've been so busy—"

"We both have." She would've added more, but her cell rang. Sighing, she checked it, her eyes widening. "Sean? What do you want?" Relena had told her what had happened; Sean was lucky the honey-blonde hadn't called the cops on him.

"Where is she, Anne?" His voice was pleading, but she detected the cold edge in it. Her face tightened. What could she tell him? Certainly not the truth.

"She's out, Sean."

"Out? Out where?" he snarled, heading back to his Corvette.

Anne's eyes narrowed. "I'm not telling you. After what you did—"

"She _told_ you?" Sean stopped, mortified. "It was...an accident. I wasn't thinking clearly—"

"Not at all! An accident? You attacked her!" Anne's rising voice was beginning to draw attention, and Treize took command of the situation by reaching out and taking the phone from his wife. She huffed silently as he placed the cell to his ear in time to hear Sean's furious ranting.

"I want you to stay far away from Relena, Sean." Treize's icy voice invoked silence on the other end. "Just be glad she asked us not to interfere, or you'd be sitting in jail." Treize hung up and set the phone to vibrate before looking at Anne. "Honey, calm down. He won't be able to find her. And even if he did, I don't believe her friends will let her get hurt."

Anne sighed. "I know. I just don't understand, darling. Relena's so sweet and trusting. Why would he do that to her?"

"Because she _is_ sweet and trusting." Treize sipped hiswine. "Come now. Relax. Let's enjoy our time together."

"Alright." Anne began eating, but her thoughts kept straying to the young writer.

_May you be safe, Relena._

**Gundam Wing**

The impromptu road trip lasted nearly five days, as Relena insisted on paying for hotel rooms at night. Duo and Hilde, while greatly appreciating their friend's generosity, had wanted to drive mostly straight through and get home quicker. They pulled into the Maxwell's drive around two pm, and Hilde couldn't wait to get out of the small car.

"You have got to be the only rich girl I know who drives a little car instead of an SUV," she told Relena as they walked up to the porch. Duo laughed.

"How many rich girls do you actually know, babe?"

Hilde sniffed at him. "Dorothy, for one. She has a Lexus. And Cat—"

"Quatre and Cat aren't—"

"More so than the rest of us." Hilde glanced around for their friend, realizing that she'd missed the entire conversation. "Relena? What are you doing?"

The petite young woman was standing knee-deep in the center of their yard, her face lifted to the bleak winter sky. "Snow. You know, I haven't really been around it since we left for California."

Duo smiled and leaned against the porch railing. "You guys went to Aspen, though."

Relena sighed and turned to walk to her friends. "Yes, but...the trips were always so rushed." Stopping suddenly, as though embarrassed, she added, "I mean, they were fun, and Matt always tried—"

"Sweetie, we understand," Hilde said gently. "We don't think badly of Matthew."

Relena bit the inside of her cheek. It was a bad habit she had formed at an early age to help relieve her of emotional stress. "I know." She walked up the steps and onto the porch while Duo held the door for her.

The Maxwell home was cozy and comfortable, and Relena felt very much at home. Her bedroom was just down the hall from theirs, and for some reason this made her feel extremely safe and protected. She knew there was little reason to believe that Sean would come looking for her, but then, she also had never expected him to attack her.

"Lena? We were wondering if you'd like to meet our friends tonight. Quatre and Cathy are having everyone over to watch movies," Hilde said, coming into the big bedroom. She glanced around, smiling. "Is this room okay?"

"It's perfect, Hilde. And sure, I'd like to meet your friends, but do you think—"

"They want to meet you, honey." Duo came to the door. "But if you're tired—"

"No, not really. And after all, this is a fresh start for me, right? Let's get it started." Relena smiled, and for the first time since Matt had died, it felt genuine. She felt a little guilty saying this was a new start, but she knew her late husband wouldn't want her living in the past, either.

Duo hugged her, grinning over her head at Hilde, who winked at him. "I'll call Quatre and tell him we're coming, then," he said and released Relena. "This'll be great. All of our friends together!" As he darted off, the two women looked at each other and began laughing.

"He's such a big kid," Hilde finally said, raising her hands palm-up. "I don't know what to do with him sometimes."

"But you'd never want to change him." There was a small doubt in Relena's voice.

Hilde's sapphire eyes widened. "Oh, no. I love him the way he is. Still...well, sometimes I guess I just think he takes life a little too much for granted. But he keeps me seeing the funny side of things." Hilde smiled at her friend. "Our friends are just going to love you."

Relena blushed a bit. "Well, I'm not so sure about that—"

"They will." Hilde started from the room. "We'll go over in an hour or so."

"Okay." Relena sighed and sat down on the goose-down comforter and stared at the wall. _I did it. I left California. I left everything...No. This isn't a time for tears. I'm going to be just fine._

This was, as she had said, her new start.

**Gundam Wing**

Quatre opened the door and grinned at Duo as the chestnut-haired man stepped through it. "Good to see you again," the blonde said, clapping his friend on the back.

"You too, Quat," Duo said and turned to gesture toward his wife. "We brought chips and cheese." Hilde smiled and held up a bag, which Duo took from her so she could take her coat off.

Quatre gave Hilde a tight hug, then his eyes widened as he saw the petite honey-blonde staring up at him with violet-blue eyes. "You must be Relena," he said and held out a hand to her.

"I am," she said, smiling. She shook his hand with a surprisingly firm grip, and Quatre took an instant liking to her. "Your home is beautiful," Relena said.

"Thank you. My wife, Cathy, is mostly responsible for that." Quatre led the group into a very wide and cheery kitchen, where a redhead was setting different kinds of pop out on the table. "Cat? Look who's here." She turned from her task and smiled, her periwinkle eyes widening.

"Hilde, Duo. I'm so glad you're back." Cat turned toward the honey-blonde, and her smile dimmed slightly. "You must be Relena. Welcome."

"Thank you." Relena noticed the slightly cooler tone in the redhead's voice and had to force herself to keep smiling.

Duo stepped up beside his friend and squeezed her shoulder in encouragement. "Relena Darlian, Quatre and Cathy Winner." He had only just realized that formal introductions hadn't been made yet.

They heard the front door open and a man and woman arguing. Quatre smiled and rolled his eyes at Duo. "And that would be the Changs, "Quatre said just as the raven-haired man and his blonde wife walked in. "Wufei, Sally, this is Relena Darlian. Relena, Wufei Chang and his wife, Sally." Quatre's quick introduction had the desired affect as they instantly quit fighting and turned to the young woman who was trying not to huddle too close to Duo.

"Relena, hi." Sally, never shy, hugged the younger woman. "We've heard so much about you, haven't we _honey_?" He sky-blue eyes sparked as she gazed coolly at her husband. He forced a quick, small smile and nodded at the new girl.

"Yes, we have." Wufei wasn't going to say anymore. He was in a rather foul mood, and he didn't want an outsider witnessing a fight between himself and Sally.

"I'm pleased to meet you both," Relena said, and although her voice was warm, her confidence was suddenly going cold. Cathy didn't seem to like her that much, and Sally and Wufei didn't appear too comfortable around her. She glanced at Hilde, but the dark-haired woman was speaking animatedly with Cathy, and Duo was talking to Wufei in low tones.

"It's a tough crowd tonight." She looked up to see Quatre next to her, a sympathetic smile on his face. "We really are glad to have you, Relena," he assured her in a soft tenor. When the door opened again out in the hall, he turned and grinned. "And this is Trowa Barton and his wife, Middie. Trowa is Cathy's younger brother." Quatre moved her toward them, and Relena felt the last shreds of her waning confidence slipping away.

"Quatre. How are you?" Middie, a striking blonde with beautiful dark navy eyes, gave him a quick hug, then eyed Relena, waiting.

"I'm good, Mid. This is Relena Darlian. Relena, Middie and Trowa Barton." A tall and very handsome young man appeared behind the blonde, his large hands coming up to rest gently on her shoulders.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Relena. Duo and Hilde go on about you all the time." Middie's eyes had softened, and her voice was low. "We were so sorry to hear about your husband."

Relena could feel tears coming and swallowed hard, concentrating on forcing them back. "Thank you, Middie. I-I'm glad to be here."

Trowa remained silent, as was his way, but there was quiet compassion in his steady gaze that Relena found very comforting. Perhaps these two would be the easiest to get to know. She thought she had met everyone, but when there was a sound of boots in the hallway, she remembered that one of Duo's friends was recently divorced.

"Heero! Buddy, it's about time you got here!" Duo rushed the young man who had just appeared in the doorway, trying to hug him.

"Knock it off, Maxwell." Heero sidestepped the assault and swept his cool gaze over the crowd. Cat and Hilde were laughing at something Sally had said, Wufei was glaring at Sally, Duo was pounding him on the back in greeting, and Trowa, Middie, and Quatre were talking to—

"Heero, meet Relena Darlian, our friend from California," Duo was saying. "Relena, this is Heero Yuy."

She smiled up at the young man, noting the chocolate hair that fell forward into his eyes – _Wow. I've never seen eyes that shade of blue before. I should give my main character in my new book eyes that color. _"Hello, Heero."

"Hey." He nodded at her with an air of indifference and walked toward the table where Cat had bowls of chips and pop set out. "Let's start the movies."

"Gee, anxious or something?" Hilde asked, glancing toward Relena. Her friend didn't seem to mind the rude brush-off, but Hilde wasn't going to let Heero get away with it. "Be nice to her," she growled at him, stepping close.

"I am, Hilde." Heero gave her a slightly perplexed look. "Why're you getting on my case?"

Hilde sighed. "Never mind." She walked away, heading for Relena, who was talking to Duo and Quatre.

Heero shrugged, not understanding. He looked Relena over again. She was pretty, with long honey-blonde hair caught up in a ponytail. But he wasn't interested, if that's what Hilde had been thinking. He wasn't ready for all that.

Relena caught Heero looking at her, but to her surprise, he didn't look away, embarrassed. He held her gaze for several seconds before turning away. _Well, that's certainly different._ She admitted to herself how attractive he was, but she just wasn't interested. She hoped Duo and Hilde wouldn't try to set her up with him.

She just couldn't handle all that right now.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: I have Cathy and Sally older as they are in the anime and manga. Chapter four is almost done, so I should have that up, hopefully, by the end of the weekend. Thank you for all the nice reviews. And please, keep it up. Yeah, I know...I'm not too proud to beg. I really do want to know what you all think...

- Red


	5. I Feel You

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Four: I Feel You

An hour into the get-together, Relena decided that she could very well just disappear, and no one would notice. And it wasn't really anyone's fault other than her own. The group was so loud and so...well, it was obvious how close they all were. She stayed out of the way, sitting in a wicker chair in the corner of the spacious living room.

The movie was one they'd all obviously seen before and Duo and Hilde kept a running commentary on it that, while it made her laugh, she realized some of the others didn't appreciate it. In particular, Wufei. She had to smile as the Chinese man threw a pillow at Duo's head. It bounced off with no affect, making Wufei even madder. But then, when it seemed like he was simply going to throttle his friend, Wufei broke down into laughter, and Relena knew this was what she had been missing out West.

Not that she didn't have friends. She hung out a lot with Anne and sometimes Treize, if he was actually at home. And, of course, she'd had Sean. Pangs of hurt rose up hard in her chest, and she suddenly couldn't seem to breathe. Getting up and going into the kitchen, she got some water and tried to drink, but her throat, despite being dry, seemed to be closed. Frustrated, and feeling angry at the pain in her heart, she wanted to escape.

She didn't want to be with the crowd.

_Maybe I should've stayed – No. I couldn't stay where Sean was._

"Thirsty?" The voice jerked her from her thoughts and she spun around to see Heero holding up a glass, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, actually," she said softly and walked over to take the glass of Coke he was offering. "Thank you."

He made some sort of sound that could have been anything and left the kitchen, and she wondered. He hadn't gotten himself anything to drink or eat, so why had he come out? To check on her? _That's absurd. I'm sure he could care less about me. _She sipped her pop and glanced around the kitchen, enjoying a few moments of peace.

Cathy entered and stopped short, and Relena smiled, unsure of what to say. Duo had told her that Cathy was just protective of everyone, and especially Heero, since his divorce had been so hard on him. Cathy smiled back, and her eyes seemed warmer.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and Relena had to look down. Cathy frowned and came closer to the younger woman, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. "Relena?"

"I'm okay, Cathy. Thank you for having us tonight." It was an automatic defense system – extreme politeness. She had learned over the years to hide her emotions; it served her well when dealing with difficult reporters and editors, and her older brother when he decided to be overprotective, which was generally all the time.

"Relena, I'm sorry I wasn't friendlier to you when you got here. Sometimes it takes me awhile to warm up to new people, but it has nothing to do with you," the redhead told her, her tone gentle.

"Really, Cathy, it's okay." Relena smiled. "Duo said you're a real estate agent?"

Cathy's eyes lit up. "I am, and I love it! He said maybe I could find a place for you?"

Relena nodded, her ponytail swaying against her shoulders. "I thought maybe something by Lake Michigan, if that's possible."

"Anything's possible as long as you have money," Cat said, smiling. "I have three or four places I can show you, but a couple of them are pretty secluded."

"Actually, secluded sounds heavenly. When could I see them?"

"Are you busy tomorrow?"

"No."

"Okay. Why don't I pick you up at ten, and show you the places? I could even show you the area, since you're new," Cathy offered, and Relena could see how excited the other woman was, how eager to give her friendship. The feeling of being wanted was absolutely wonderful.

"I'd love that, Cathy. Thank you."

"Call me Cat. And you're welcome. Now come on – we're missing the movie." Cathy gestured to the living room. "Even though we've all seen it."

"Actually, I haven't. I don't really get out that much," Relena said, and that searing pain was back, stabbing at her chest.

Cathy gave her a hug. "That's going to change, Relena. You'll see." As the redhead headed back to the others, Relena smiled and gripped her glass of Coke tighter as she followed.

Things were definitely going to be different.

**Gundam Wing**

Relena knew the instant she saw the small cottage that she had to have it. "Oh, Cat," she breathed as her new friend parked her Ford Expedition. "It's absolutely perfect!" She couldn't hide the squeal of delight in her voice.

"I thought this one might be it," Cat said and got out. She inhaled a deep breath, coughing a little. Winter was not her favorite season, but the cold air did feel somewhat pleasant on her skin. "Follow me." She walked through the snow up to the porch. "You can see Lake Michigan from the back porch, and there's a trail that leads down to the beach."

"Wonderful." Relena knew she didn't need to see the inside of the quaint cottage. The cute little building with a wraparound porch and cheery light blue shutters was just for her. And the interior only accentuated her love – two bedrooms, kitchen, bath-and-a-half, living room, and a small study that would serve as an office. "Oh, Cat, this is it. I need it."

Cathy laughed. "You haven't even seenthe back porch view yet. Come on." She led the way out the back door in the kitchen, and when Relena caught sight of the big Lake, she clapped her hands in delight. "I knew that would clinch it for you. Let's get the paperwork started."

Two hours later, Relena felt more happy than she had since Matt had died. She didn't officially own the place yet, but there was still that profound sense of ownership.

Her very own place.

Herrefuge.

Cathy spent the rest of the afternoon driving her around and showing her the surrounding area as she had promised. They stopped by the summer house where Quatre and his crew were working, and Relena got to see first-hand just how good the five-man crew was.

"Wow. This place is gorgeous," she said, glancing up at the towering four-story beach mansion. Cat smiled wryly.

"It has to be. It belongs to the Nickerson's. They live in Chicago, and spend about six weeks here every summer. Last year, they decided to have a house built...tadaa!" she said, leading the way inside. "Hey, handsome," she called out, and Quatre came over, a big grin on his boyishly good-looking face. "The place looks great."

"Thanks. We should have it done by next month," he said, running a hand through his sunny locks. He put his arms around his wife and drew her close, kissing her softly. Relena gazed around, trying not to pay them too much attention. Quatre drew back, taking Cat's hand, and flashed Relena a warm smile. "Relena. It's good to see you again."

"Yes, it's been so long," she joked, her face warming slightly at his laugh. "You guys do outstanding work."

He nodded. "Thanks. Come on in." She followed him and Cat, her eyes roving over the newly-finished rooms they passed. The other men were finishing up the huge, cathedral-ceiling living room, and Duo ran over to her, giving her a tight hug.

"So, did you find a place, Lena?" he asked, releasing her and grinning.

"I did. It's right on Lake Michigan," she said, nodding.

"It's the Byerly cottage," Cat added, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder.

Duo frowned then, his cobalt eyes losing some of their shine. "Oh. That's quite a ways out." Relena picked up the concern in his deep voice.

"Duo, it'll be fine. It's not really that far from you and Hilde," she assured him. She too had noticed how far out it was, but that was what she had wanted: seclusion.

"Yeah, I guess." Duo wasn't entirely convinced, and he knew Hilde wouldn't be, either. "You sure your Mini can make it out there? That road gets pretty rough."

Relena rolled her gentian eyes. "My car can do it. Don't worry so much."

"You could always buy an SUV," Quatre suggested.

Relena smiled but shook her head. "No. I'm pretty attached to my Mini." Truth be told, Matt had bought her the cute little German car only a week before his death.

She would never part from it.

Heero finished the trim he was working on and glanced at the honey-blonde. She was much more relaxed today, her smile more bright. It suited her. He scowled and looked away. He had work to finish, and didn't need distractions, even pretty ones.

"You been working on your new book?" Duo asked her, switching subjects. He knew the Mini was a sensitive topic, one best left undiscussed. And she loved talking about her writing.

Relena's eyes lit up. "A little bit. Anne's really been on my case about it. But with my new place, I should be able to settle down and really get at it."

Wufei looked over at her. "You're a writer?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes."

Duo frowned at Wufei. "You knew that. We've told you that before."

"I know. But it had slipped my mind." Wufei directed his attention back to Relena. "What do you write?"

"Suspense novels. I'm working on my third one."

"Really? Wow." Wufei thought for a moment. "I've never seen your name before."

Relena laughed. "I write under a pen name. Susan Rineheart. It helps keep the mob level down at signings. No one notices a Relena Darlian wandering around. Well, at least until they find out Relena is Susan."

Wufei's obsidian orbs widened and he moved closer to her. "_You're_ Susan Rineheart? I can't believe it. Your books are phenomenal! The last one kept Sally awake for two weeks!" His enthusiasm brought high color to her cheeks as she blushed. "Wow. You really are an amazing writer." He turned to Duo, who had an amused look on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What? And ruin the surprise? Besides, she tries to keep the secret identity under wraps. Right, Lena?"

"Exactly. And I'm glad you like the books, Wufei." She was glad she had a memory for names. She rarely needed to be told a name more than once to memorize it. "Do you read a lot?"

"All the time." Trowa ambled over to the group, a quiet grin on his face. "We usually can't pry the book out of his hands."

"Excuse me for having some sophistication," Wufei said, scowling at his friend.

"Reading is sophistication?" Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Does that include those Playboys Duo reads?"

"What?" Duo's face burned red. "I do _not_ read Playboy! I had _one_ issue! One! And I didn't even look at it! I just threw it away!"

"But why did you have it, Maxwell?" Wufei asked while Quatre and Cathy laughed.

While Duo tried to defend himself, Relena noticed that Heero had yet to engage in the conversation. She watched him work for several moments before walking over to him. "Hi," she ventured, a bit shyly. He gave no response, merely glancing at her. She eyed the trim he'd been working on. "You do a beautiful job."

"Thank you." Heero turned away, hoping she'd leave. He really didn't have time to talk.

Relena sensed he was already tired of her, and walked away, going over to a window and gazing out over Lake Michigan. The water was frozen along the shore, creating what looked like miniature icebergs, and she remembered walking on them in years past. She had always liked the lake, but there was a healthy fear of it, too. _So beautiful, and yet it can be so deadly._

Heero was well-aware of her presence over at the window, and Hilde's words flashed through his brain – _Be nice to her_. But he was at work. He had things that he needed to do. So why did he find himself next to her at the window, then? She glanced up at him, but said nothing. _She's hurting, too._ The random thought struck hard, causing him to inhale sharply.

"Are you alright?" Relena gazed up at him, and when he met her eyes, he saw her concern.

"I'm fine." His words came out sharply and she looked down and away. He knew he should say something else, but didn't know what, so he bailed. _What am I doing? I feel like a moron._ Heero's Prussian blues glittered as he got back to work.

Curse women.

"Relena?" Cathy walked over to her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Relena slid her politeness over herself, hiding the hurt at being snapped at. _I am so done with men. Why is he being a jerk? And why'd he come over if he wasn't going to be nice? _She sighed and followed Cat back to the others. Duo hugged her, sensing the shift in her demeanor, and anger flared up in his chest. He glanced at Heero, instantly knowing he must've said something to upset her.

"Duo, don't. Please." Relena knew the trail his thoughts were taking. "It's not worth it."

"It is if he hurt you," the usually-cheerful man growled.

"We don't know each other that well, that's all." Relena smiled up at him. "Don't say anything."

"Okay, okay." Duo glanced again at Heero. "He is a little bit contrary sometimes." His eyes softened and the anger drained away. Heero was still in pain himself; it wasn't right to be upset with him because of his curt manner. "You know, he wasn't like this, Lena. Not until the divorce."

Relena lowered her head, honey-blonde hair falling forward to create a silken curtain. "We've both lost someone dear to us," she said softly, and Duo gave her another hug.

"We'll talk more about it later," he told her and guided her over to Cathy, who was kissing Quatre goodbye.

"See you tonight, honey," the blonde told his wife, and smiled at Relena. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too, Quatre." Relena smiled at Wufei and Trowa and followed Cathy, leaving the five men alone.

"I can't believe she's Susan Rineheart." Wufei shook his raven head. "Have you guys ever read her books?"

"Middie has," Trowa offered. His emerald gaze went to Heero, and he knew the other man was hurting. Of course, Relena hadn't meant any harm by going to talk to him, but Heero was just barely getting over the divorce. He didn't need a woman he didn't know suddenly showing up in his life. Still, it couldn't be helped. Relena was in pain as well, and needed their support.

"Heero." He looked over at Trowa, who had traipsed over to him. "Let's take our sleds out after work."

Heero nodded. He knew his friends were still very concerned about him, just as he knew Duo was upset because of the way he'd reacted to Relena. _Relena._ _Confound it. Why does her name keep slipping into my mind?_ He didn't want a relationship right now. Maybe not ever. But yet he was starting to yearn again for what he'd had, what his friends had. And Relena was as alone as he was – _No. I refuse to go there. _

He wasn't about to get his heart thrashed again.

**Gundam Wing**

Relena lay in her bed later that afternoon, having feigned a headache so Hilde would leave her alone. Not the most polite thing to do, but she needed alone time. She needed to think. _Heero Yuy. What is it about him? Why am I attracted to him? He hasn't been all that nice to me. _But yet she could almost feel his bitterness, his hurt and anger. And maybe that was the draw.

She reciprocated those same feelings.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: As usual, your reviews and kind encouragement have really kept this story rolling. I'm on page six of the next chapter, and there's going to be much more 1xR interaction...Thank you for all your awesome support.

-Red


	6. A Different View

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its awesome characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Five: A Different View

The snow was finally beginning to melt. Spring was definitely encroaching on winter, and Relena loved it. She finished tying her running shoes and stepped out onto the porch, shivering slightly in the cool late March air. After stretching she ran down the driveway and turned out onto the gravel road, gradually increasing her pace until she was fairly flying, her honey-blonde ponytail flowing behind her like the tail of a Derby-running Thoroughbred.

When a vehicle approached behind her she got over, not minding the mud puddles. But she was perplexed when the vehicle slowed, as if following her, and she had to break stride as she began to slow, hoping it would pass her.

"Relena." Her head spun to the left and she gazed at Heero, who had carefully driven his Wrangler up beside her. They had come to a sort of mutual agreement, unspoken of course, that they would be acquaintances and nothing more.

"Heero. What are you doing out this way?" His beach house, bought a month after finding Sylvia and Jason together on the back deck, was at least a six mile drive from her place. This wasn't a normal route for him.

He frowned a little, and his dark blue eyes narrowed. "Duo told me you've been running."

"Well, um, yes." Duh. Couldn't he _see_ that? "So?" He raised an eyebrow at her sassy tone, and she flashed a grin at him.

"Don't run on Miller." There was almost a growl in his tenor, and she frowned, trying to remember if she'd seen that road before.

"Why? Is it haunted?" She knew she really shouldn't tease him, but why had he driven all the way over here just to warn her?

Heero's jaw tightened and his Prussian blues grew darker. "No. There's a man who lives on Miller who's been known to stalk women." How could he say it any plainer? That he wanted her nowhere near that guy?

"Oh." Relena lost her sassiness. She frowned and reached up to tighten her ponytail. "Thanks." Heero didn't drive off as she had thought he would, and there seemed to be a restlessness about him that unnerved her a little. "Um, I'll see you around," she finally said and started jogging, expecting the Jeep to drive on by.

For some reason, Relena's dismissal rankled him, though he couldn't say why. They were barely friends. What did it matter? And why had he driven all the way over here? _Because you want to protect her._ He scowled and threw the Wrangler into gear. He didn't like where his thoughts had been going lately. She didn't need him, and he certainly didn't need her.

Just like he hadn't needed Sylvia.

**Gundam Wing**

"So he just drove over to tell you not to run on Miller?" Hilde threw Relena a quick look over her shoulder.

"Yeah, apparently. I don't know, Hilde." Relena cradled her cup of tea in her hands and stared down at the kitchen table. Hilde brought a plate of oven-warm chocolate chip cookies and sat down. "I mean, what do you make of that?"

"Well," Hilde bit into a cookie, "Heero was always really protective of his ex-wife."

"Hilde. I'm not her. He and I barely speak to one another." Relena sighed in exasperation. "What is up with him?"

Her friend smiled, a mischievous glint in her sapphire eyes. "Are you sure you're not looking for something in it? I mean, Heero's really good looking—"

"What? No!" Relena blushed and turned her gaze out the window, watching the falling rain. "I'm not ready to even think about dating."

"But if you were, you'd want Heero?" Hilde asked, grinning when her friend glared at her. "Oh come on, Lena. The guy's built fine, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I know. But – Hilde, I just..." Relena was frustrated with both herself and the situation. "We're not exactly two normal people, you know? We've both been hurt—"

"So you'll understand each other better." Hilde's grin had faded, and she leaned in earnest across the table. "Lena, Heero is a great guy. I know he seems really cold and stand-offish, but that's mostly because of what happened. I mean...he has a great laugh. I bet you didn't know that. And he's actually quite considerate and—"

Relena smiled and held up her hands. "Hilde, stop trying to sell him, okay? I believe you, but I'm just not ready. I mean, Matt was the best thing to ever happen to me. I need more time."

"And I understand that, honey, really. All I'm saying is that when you _are_ ready, don't write him off, okay? Please?" Hilde's eyes were practically begging, and Relena leaned forward to grasp her friend's hands, squeezing them tight.

"I promise, Hilde, I'll at least consider him, okay?"

"Okay. Now, try one of these and tell me they aren't the best you've ever had!" Hilde grabbed the plate of cookies and shoved it at Relena, who willingly obliged, her violet-blue eyes closing in bliss as she bit into the soft, warm gooiness.

"Oh, Hilde...wow!"

"Told you. I am the master." Hilde grinned in satisfaction. She knew Relena wasn't ready yet to seriously consider dating, but when she was, Heero was going to be her first choice, no matter whatHilde had to do.

**Gundam Wing**

"So, Heero, buddy, why were you late?" Duo couldn't resist bugging his friend, even though he knew he was taking his life into his hands. Heero ignored him, which Duo had expected, so he shot a look over his left shoulder at Quatre, who sighed good-naturedly.

"Heero, you _were_ twenty minutes late—"

"I had something I needed to do," the other man interrupted, shrugging his big shoulders.

"Really." Quatre grinned. Heero had never been late to work, and was usually early by half an hour or so since his divorce had finalized. "Like what?"

Heero's left fist clenched around a nail. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? What did twenty minutes matter? But then, he knew they weren't really after him about being late. They wanted the _reason_ he was late.

Well, screw them.

"None of your business," he growled, and the icy Prussian stare he gave his two friends was enough to deter any more questions.

For now.

It would be a small reprieve.

**Gundam Wing**

After leaving Hilde's around six, Relena headed into Minersmith to get gas for her Mini and some movies to watch. She had finished another chapter on her newest book and wanted to take a time-out to do nothing but relax. The light rain was just beginning to intensify as she pulled into the local WESCO and parked at a pump. She got out and began gassing up the little silver car, not noticing the dark navy Wrangler that pulled in on the other side.

After filling up the Mini, Relena went inside and headed to the coolers, trying to decide what she wanted. She wasn't much of a drinker, thought Matt had always insisted on wine with dinner, so the alcohol held little interest for her. As she was reaching for a Mountain Dew, she heard a gravelly male voice say, "Excuse me, miss. I don't believe we've met."

She turned and looked up, taking a deep breath. He was tall, with auburn hair worn short and light green eyes that were currently checking her out – slowly. "Oh, um, hello." This wasn't the type of guy she _wanted_ to meet.

He was the type Matt had always warned her about.

"No name, beautiful?" He took a step forward; Relena parried by taking one back. A scowl crossed his face. "Come on, sweet stuff. Tell me."

"Ah, um..." Relena started to turn away, not wanting to further engage him in conversation. But he reached out and took hold of her right arm, his hold not exactly tight but not loose.

"Hold on." Now he had her back against the cooler doors, and there was a mean glint in his eyes.

"Let go of me." Relena tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but he simply squeezed harder, causing her to gasp. "Please, let go."

"No, I don't—"

"You heard the lady." The snarling voice came from behind the man, who immediately let go of Relena's arm. She swallowed hard, rubbing the spot that had turned red. "Get out of here."

"Hey, man, sorry." The green-eyed man hurried away, and Relena gazed up at her protector—

"Heero?" She couldn't hide her surprise, and she felt momentarily weak, her heart pounding. Not that she'd been in any real danger, but the man had definitely scared her.

"Are you alright?" Heero gazed down at her with eyes full of concern, and when she shifted wearily, he reached out to touch her shoulder. "Relena, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I am," she said softly, "thanks to you." She looked up at him again, into those crushingly fathomless eyes, and her knees started to buckle.

"Easy," Heero said and caught her elbow. "You need to sit down." He eased her to the floor, crouching down next to her. Relena reached up to brush some hair back from her face, and gave her rescuer a tentative smile.

Was this how Heero had been before his divorce?

If so, she had clearly misjudged him.

"Thank you," she said, and he gave a short nod.

"How do you feel?"

"Okay. Actually, I feel pretty stupid. He couldn't have hurt me here." Her cheeks colored in embarrassment.

Heero's Prussian eyes narrowed. "Maybe not here, but he could've hurt you somewhere else. That's the guy I warned you about. His name is Ben Travis. You need to—"

"Heero?"

He froze, his blood icing inside his veins. He couldn't have heard right. _No way_ could he have heard right. But when he raised his dark blue eyes, there she was. The one woman in the world he had promised to love, cherish, and honor for all his life.

The one woman who had so thoroughly destroyed him.

"Sylvia." There was nothing in his voice.

Relena's eyes widened, and all at once she felt hate course along her nerves, feeding itself with anger. This was the woman who had hurt Heero?

Sylvia smiled but there was uncertainty in her midnight-blue eyes, especially when her gaze went to Relena. "Imagine running into you here. How have you been?" She had left Michigan only three weeks after Heero found her out, and had been living in Chicago with Jason.

Heero stayed crouched down beside Relena. For a reason he wasn't able to explain, she was giving him strength. "As good as I ever am," he finally said, shrugging. Then his eyes shifted back to the honey-blonde beside him. "Come on. I'll walk you out to your car."

"Thank you," Relena said, and took hold of his hand when he offered it to her, helping her up.

"I'm glad to hear it, Heero. I'll, um, see you around," Sylvia said quietly, and walked away. Who exactly was that woman he was with? He seemed quite familiar with her, but she hadn't heard that he was seeing anyone. _Hmm. There must be someone around here who knows. _She smiled and walked back out to her car, completely forgetting about the Diet Coke she'd been craving.

Heero waited while Relena paid for her gas, then paid for his, keeping sight of the honey-blonde out of the corner of his left eye. Relena waited patiently, but her heart was pounding. Why was he acting like this? Acting so...protectively? She felt bad for him, having to see his ex, but he had handled it well. Heero moved to her side and nodded toward the door. The rain had increased dramatically, and they had to run to the Mini.

"Thank you again, Heero, for everything," Relena said, looking up at him, her violet-blue eyes warm with gratitude.

"You're welcome. And like I said, stay away from Ben Travis," he told her, and turned to walk to his Jeep, but her hand on his right elbow stayed him. "What?" he asked, trying to sound gentle. It'd been awhile since he'd used that tone of voice.

"Would, would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?" Relena asked, and her voice was low and a little shaky. What was she doing, asking him over? Just because he had rescued her—

"I'd like that," Heero said, and he let a small smile play at the corners of his mouth. "What time?"

"Around seven?" Relena's smile seemed to light up the entire station.

"Sure. I'll see you then."

"Wait, Heero. Do you know where—"

"Yeah. I've driven by it before," he said, and gave her another small smile. "Be careful going home, okay?"

"I will. You too." Relena got into her car and started it, noticing that he watched her drive out. A smile found her lips again, and her heart was lighter than it had been in awhile. She had a...date? Was that what it was? _A date._ _Wow. I haven't had one of those since_—A sudden burning in her eyes caused her heart to drop. What was she doing? Was she really ready for this?

Was she ready to open her heart to someone else?

But she wanted to move on. Not rapidly, but a date here or there wouldn't be bad. And she knew Heero wouldn't be pushing her, because he had been hurt as well. _By that woman._ _How could she have walked away, and then acted like it was perfectly okay between them?_ For the first time in her life, Relena wanted to hurt someone. Just punch Sylvia in her lovely face.

She sighed and drove toward home, trying to push thoughts of Sylvia away and just focus on Heero.

She was much happier that way.

**Gundam Wing**

Heero sprawled out on his couch and watched Jay Leno go through his act, but his thoughts were definitely not on the show. Instead they had gone directly to Relena, and to her offer. He smiled, glad that she had asked. But even so, there was a small nagging doubt that refused to leave him alone. What if she turned out to be like his ex?

_Sylvia. What is she doing back here, anyway? _His good humor vanished, leaving an angry bitterness in his heart. He couldn't think of a reason his ex would come back, unless it was to visit her father. It certainly couldn't be because of himself.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander back to Relena. She couldn't possibly be like Sylvia. She was so – well, he wasn't sure what the difference was, but it was definitely there. A smile wended across his face, but soon disappeared as he thought back to the scene in the gas station. Ben Travis was nothing but a loser, looking for a good time.

_Well, he won't get it with Relena. I won't let him near her_, he thought, surprising himself with his vehemence. He wasn't sure why he felt so protective of her. They had only known each other about a month or so, and they didn't really _know_ one another. She was a suspense novelist; he'd gotten her books from Wufei and read them in about two days, they were that good. And she was nice and super polite, but...what else?

_Tomorrow night will be a good chance to talk. Really talk. _He'd have to let the drawbridge down, let her come into the castle of bitterness that he'd built around himself. It wouldn't be easy, but he knew there was a stirring in him, a stirring that wasn't going to fade away.

A stirring that had everything to do with Relena.


	7. A Bridge Comes Down, a Wall Goes Up

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters. I make no money.

Set Me Free

Chapter Six: A Bridge Comes Down, a Wall Goes Up

"The setting has to be perfect, Hilde! I mean, I don't want him to think this is a date—"

"But it is—"

"No, it's not!" Relena huffed impatiently as she clutched her cell phone with her right hand, her left fisted against her hip. "I mean, what if he doesn't think it is? I don't want him to think I think it is, if he's not thinking—"

Hilde broke into laughter. "I'm sorry, honey. I know this is really important. I just, well, Heero isn't the kind of guy to freak out over stuff like this. I don't want you to worry, okay?" Her voice was gentle. She knew this wasn't easy on Relena.

"I know." Relena reached out and touched the antique lace tablecloth, running her hand lightly over it. "Do you think this is a good idea, Hilde? We barely know each other."

"Sweetie, it's a good chance to learn about one another. You don't have to be afraid of Heero," Hilde assured her. She wished this could be easier on her friend, but it wouldn't be. It took a long time for broken hearts to heal, and both Relena and Heero had deep scars that still needed mending.

"I'm not. I mean, he rescued me yesterday." Relena sighed and glanced at her watch. One hour. "I should go so I can check my lasagna. Thank you so much for listening to my nervous rambling, Hilde."

"Any time, honey. And don't worry. You're going to have a great time." Hilde hung up and set her phone down with a soft sigh.

"Babe, it'll be fine." Duo walked into their bedroom and put his arms around her, drawing her close. Hilde rested her head against his chest. "They'll get along."

"I know." She leaned back so she could see his face. "I'm worried about Heero, though. Why would Sylvia come back? He's just starting to really get over her." Her voice was troubled, and her husband pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I wouldn't worry about Yuy, sweetheart. He won't let Sylvia play with his head." _At least, I hope not._ "Now come on. We're going out." Duo began to steer her out of the room.

"Oh yeah?" Hilde smiled to herself. "Where to?"

"Wilson's."

"Really? Why?"

"A guy can't take his lady to her favorite local restaurant?" Duo flashed Hilde a grin when she turned to look up at him. "What?"

"Quit being so innocent, Duo. You're just trying to make me feel better. Admit it." Hilde was smiling, but he saw the cool glint in her bright blue eyes. His grin faded as he cupped her face gently in his hands.

"Babe, I know you're worried. But this is out of our hands now. We introduced them, and now it's up to them. As for Sylvia, well, she's Heero's to deal with. Not, of course, that I won't tell her off if she tries to start something. Okay?" His cobalt eyes were deep with concern, and Hilde nodded, leaning against him.

"Okay."

"Good. I'm starved, so let's go!" Duo bent down and scooped her up so she couldn't protest any further. Hilde wouldn't have, anyway.

She was too busy laughing.

**Gundam Wing**

Relena decided against candles and had instead arranged some of her best silk flowers in a crystal heirloom vase. "There. Much better than candles," she whispered, trying to fight the butterflies in her stomach. At least they would be on _her_ turf, or whatever.

_Why am I this nervous? I don't remember being like this with Matt. _Matt. Relena felt a lump suddenly lodge in her throat and tears started to burn in her eyes. Definitely _not_ okay. She wanted this. She wanted to move on. Matt would want her to move on. The doorbell went off and her heart rate accelerated. He was here. This was it.

Time to get back in the game.

Relena wiped at her eyes and went to the door.

**Gundam Wing**

Heero got out of the Jeep and ran a hand through his hair. He knew trying to tame it would only result in more of a disaster, so he didn't bother. Straightening and narrowing his eyes a little, he strode up onto the porch and hit the doorbell.

_Relax. This'll be fun. Relax._

He sighed and relaxed his body, his eyes automatically softening. He could do this. And then the door swung open, and Relena was there, a shy smile on her face, and he suddenly couldn't seem to breathe.

"Hi, Heero. Please, come in," she said, stepping back, and he forced his wooden feet to move. Had this been a bad idea? "I'm glad you could come," Relena added, and he heard a slight shake in her voice.

She wasn't sure about this, either.

"Thanks for inviting me." He mentally flinched at the cool tone of voice, and quickly added, "Nice place."

Relena shut the door and smiled up at him. "Thank you. I—"

"Is that lasagna?" Heero was moving toward the kitchen.

"Yes. It, it's my favorite food," the honey-blonde softly confessed, and Heero turned to her, a warmness thawing the edges of his Prussian blues.

"Mine too."

They smiled at each other, his just turning the corners of his mouth, hers small and tentative.

Maybe tonight _had _been a good idea.

**Gundam Wing**

"So, kitten, why are you here?" Carter Noventa asked, glancing at Sylvia over his newspaper. She toyed with her salad fork.

"I saw Heero yesterday," she said. "He was with a woman."

"And that bothers you?" Carter laid his paper down. "Syl, you're divorced. He's going to move on."

"I know, Daddy. But...she's not from around here. And she's gorgeous."

"And that annoys you?" Carter sighed. "Sweetheart, he's a good-looking guy. Of course he would attract—"

"Not helping." Sylvia glared at her fork.

"You're having problems with Jason."

Sylvia shook her blonde head. "No. We get along fine. He spoils me rotten, like you do."

"But?" Carter knew there was a "but." There always was. And it was his fault, because he had spoiled her so much that now nothing was ever enough. And he sensed what it was she wanted. "Kitten, you can't have them both. Jason gives you money, security, a wonderful place to live—"

"I know, Daddy. It's just that, well, he's so different than Heero."

"Different is what you wanted," Carter pointed out.

"I know." Sylvia could feel frustration threatening to swamp her. "I don't want Heero back. I really don't. It was just hard seeing him with someone else."

"It always will be." Carter stood, his dinner untouched. "So why are you really here, Sylvia?"

"Jason's in London on business, and I was homesick," his daughter said, raising her blue eyes to his own.

"Good enough for me. Let's go for a drive. We'll take the GT40." Carter extended a hand to her, and Sylvia smiled for the first time since she'd seen Heero.

"And we can eat at the Wave Dancer?" The lakeside restaurant was her favorite place to eat, expensive and exclusive. Carter smiled.

"Of course. Whatever you want, kitten." They strolled out of the dining room arm-in-arm. Sylvia was happy now, but not content. She'd lied to her father. Well, a little, anyway.

Maybe she _did_ want Heero back.

**Gundam Wing**

"That was excellent, Relena," Heero said, setting his fork down and gazing at the woman seated across from him.

"I'm glad you liked it," she said, smiling. She started to gather the dishes together, and was more than a little surprised when he started helping. Matt had never helped clear the table. "Heero, you don't—"

"I want to," he interrupted and carried his stack into the kitchen. Relena smiled and followed him.

"Thank you."

"Let's rinse them and put them in the dishwasher so you don't have to later." His tone was low, but she detected the firm ring in it.

"Okay."

They worked together efficiently and with ease, and both found themselves really relaxing. Heero paused to watch her for a moment, a soft glow in his dark blue eyes. She was very pretty in her pale violet sweater, her honey mane pulled back in a barrette, but it wasn't just her beauty that was drawing him in. Relena was warm and caring, and very sweet.

He could sense his heart starting to really warm to her.

It was a pretty nice sensation.

"There, all done." Relena turned to him, a smile on her face. "Thank you for helping me, too. You didn't have to."

"No problem. I'm used to doing it," he said, shrugging off her thanks. They stood quietly for several seconds, neither sure of what to say or do next. Relena finally moved toward the living room, and he followed her lead. She sat down on the couch, and after glancing around the cozy room, he sat on the other end, angling his tall frame toward her petite one.

"So, Duo told me you're really into motorcycles," Relena said, struggling to keep eye contact. His blue eyes were so dark, and yet so emotionless, that it was hard to look at them. And she wasn't sure what to talk about. They hadn't said much at dinner, instead concentrating on eating.

"Yeah," Heero said, and knew he had to do better than that. "I started riding dirt bikes when I was five," he added. Why was it that conversation seemed so hard? He and Sylvia had never had problems in that department.

"You have four of them, right? Are they all Kawasakis?" Relena asked, pulling her feet up under her, and smiling inwardly at the monkeys on her socks.

Heero's right eyebrow went up. "Are you into bikes? And no, only two are Kawasakis."

Relena gave him a shy smile. "I've always liked riding. Matt...he used to ride a Harley, but I've never been much of a fan. My older brother, Milliardo, had a Shadow, so I'm more of a Honda girl."

"Really. They are good bikes." Heero felt himself relaxing again. Sylvia had never been interested in bikes, and had never really liked riding, either. That Relena was obviously into them was...important. It _mattered. _He was seriously beginning to believe that _she_ mattered, very much, as well.

"Would you like something to drink?" Relena asked, feeling fidgety. Mentioning her late husband had upset her more than she thought it should. It had been almost a year, after all.

"Sure." Heero got up and followed her back to the kitchen, noting the tense set to her slender shoulders. He frowned, and thought back to what had been said. _She mentioned Matt. Is that why she's upset? _He found himself searching for something to say to make her feel better.

"Um, I'm a Mountain Dew person," Relena said upon opening the fridge door. "Is that okay?" She sounded so hopeful, as if she needed his approval.

"Yeah," Heero said, watching as she took out two cans and handed him one. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Relena swallowed hard. This was more difficult than she had thought it would be, but why? It wasn't as if Heero was hard to talk to.

Heero saw her struggling and took charge. "I read your books. They're really great. Where did you get the ideas?" When he saw her gentian eyes light up, he knew he'd hit gold.

"Oh, thank you. I wasn't sure if you'd read them or not. Come on." She led the way to her office and turned on the lights, then stepped aside so he could see. A small computer desk was tucked into a corner, where her laptop and printer sat. There were bookshelves, overcrowded and overflowing with all kinds of books. Maps of the world covered the light blue walls, along with several posters of famous paintings. Magazines of every type teetered in tall stacks on the floor.

"It's a little messy, but I work better that way," Relena said, a smile in her voice. "My ideas come from all over. Books, magazines, newspapers, movies, songs..." She shrugged when he glanced at her. "All over, like I said."

"Wow. Do you travel a lot?" he asked, quite intrigued. He walked over to examine the maps more closely.

"I haven't a lot, no. I've been to London and Paris, but I'd really love to see Australia and Ireland, and maybe Italy, someday," she said, sounding wistful. She sipped at her can of pop, watching as he studied the maps and glanced over the books on her shelves. "Have you traveled?" she asked when he turned back to her.

"Not really. I've always wanted to take a bike trip on Route 66, though. Start from here and ride to California," he said, and added, "It's hard to find time, though."

"Yes, it is. Time is a pretty valuable commodity," Relena agreed. Heero came out of the office and they went back to the living room, sitting closer on the couch this time. Relena was well-aware of his strong presence, and of his jean-clad right leg next to her left one. "Did you ever race motocross?" she asked, curious as to how involved he was with bikes.

Heero shook his head, a small grin on his handsome face. "No. My mom would've had a fit. I always wanted to, though. My uncle J used to race, and he's the one who got me my first dirt bike."

"It sounds like you're close with your family," Relena said, her eyes intent on him.

"Yeah. My parents live down by the Indiana border. We've always gotten along well," he said. "How about you?"

Relena frowned and twisted her pop can around in her hands. "Milliardo and I get along really well. Our parents – well, I see them occasionally. They live by Detroit, and they don't really have much time for us. And my brother's in Germany. I haven't seen him since," Relena took a deep breath, "Matt's funeral." Against her will, tears began to cloud her eyes, and she blinked hard, furiously, to keep them back. She could _not_ cry over Matt now.

Heero's Prussian blues narrowed slightly in concern. He could not stand to see a woman cry, and when he saw Relena's lower lip tremble he reacted instinctively and quickly. Reaching over, he took hold of her left hand and squeezed, giving her what he hoped was an understanding look. "It's okay, Relena," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle.

She tried to smile, to say something funny or witty so as to fend off the tears, but in the face of Heero's warm grasp and concerned blue eyes, she couldn't. The tears won out. She closed her eyes, trying to stem the salty flow, and a small sob escaped her throat.

Heero took a deep breath. He wasn't ready for this, for the hot wave of protection that surged through him, for the way he wanted to collect her into his arms and hold her until the flood of tears had passed. Panic gripped him tightly. He just wasn't ready for this, for these feelings, so soon. But he couldn't just leave. It was obvious the young woman beside him needed him.

"It's okay. Shh," he whispered, and squeezed her hand again. Relena nodded and sniffled, trying desperately to stop crying.

"I-I'm s-sorry," she said, shaking her head and trying to pull away from him. This was not the night she had envisioned.

"Hey, stop. You have nothing to be sorry for, Relena." Heero refused to let go of her hand, knowing that she needed the contact.

Relena finally got control of her emotions and wiped away the remaining tears with her right hand. She was embarrassed and wanted nothing more than for Heero to leave so she could curl up in bed and pretend this hadn't happened. He was still gripping her hand, and seemed quite content beside her. "Heero—"

"Relena, you have nothing to be sorry for. You miss Matt. That's okay. You should miss him," he said, stilling his desire to reach out and push the hair back from her pale face.

"No, it's not okay, Heero. Not tonight, not when I'm with...you." The last word was nothing more than a breath, and carried all of her hope for the future with it. She gazed at him with eyes wet and red, and he could no longer control his reaction. Reaching up with his left hand, his powerful body angled toward hers, he touched her cheek, his fingers light and soothing. His dark blue eyes, so emotionless before, now held a whirlwind of feelings that Relena couldn't decipher, and wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Relena."

"Heero."

His hand moved to her graceful neck, his touch so gentle, and yet it burned, igniting a longing deep inside her heart, a longing to be one with another person again, to know that there was a special someone that shared her world and only hers. She closed her eyes, reveling in the heat washing over her as Heero drew her close, pressing her to him, his steely arms enfolding her into a cocoon of strength and protection.

Heero felt her tremble and whispered, "Shh, Relena." He knew this was too soon, too fast, too sudden, and yet couldn't stop. There was something about her that he wanted. He wanted to care for her, to protect her, to be with her. His head was whirling, his heart was twisting, and he realized there might be no going back.

"Heero—"

"Shh." He shushed her gently. That was what she deserved. Softness. Gentleness. He could do that for her. The feel of her in his embrace was scintillating. He had been craving this for so long, though mostly unconsciously.

"Heero—"

"Relena, shh," he whispered, and frowned when she began to struggle against him. "Relena?" She fought harder and he released her, confused and hurt when she bolted from him and ran to the other side of the room. "What is it? What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"I-I think...I think you should leave," she said, her voice low. Heero detected fear in it, though, and got to his feet. Why would she be afraid of him? He had done nothing to warrant fear.

"Relena, tell me what's wrong. Please." He moved toward her and she burst into tears again. "Shh, please, don't cry. I'm sorry if I scared you. That wasn't my intention," he said, completely confused.

She looked up at him as he came closer, and had to fight her instinct to flee. Wasn't this just how Sean had come onto her? And she'd known him a lot longer than Heero...but Hilde and Duo trusted Heero. They wouldn't let her see someone who would hurt her.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head. "T-this isn't your fault. I-I just...I can't." Her eyes were wary, and her body was tense, and Heero knew enough to back off. Someone had hurt her.

_Was that why Duo insisted she come back here? So he could protect her? _

"Relena, I am sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Heero ran a hand through his chocolate hair. "Is there anything I can do?" He didn't want to leave, but it looked like that might be the only thing that would make her feel better.

"No. I'm sorry, too. Maybe – maybe we're rushing things," she said, hating herself for saying that. His embrace had been so welcome at first, his gentle touches heaven, but thoughts of Sean forcing himself on her had come unbidden, ruining the moment. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too. I'll go." Heero turned away, not understanding why she was pushing him away, but knowing there was something behind it. Or someone.

_And I'll find out what happened._

_Duo will talk._

_Or I'll make him._

Relena watched him drive away and ran to her room, throwing herself down on the bed and sobbing. It had been going so well, and she had blown it. Why couldn't she have just relaxed? Would he even look at her again? Would he ever want to touch her like that again? She already missed his arms holding her, his deep voice, his beautiful blue eyes that had held such a strong storm of emotions, just before her freak-out.

_Oh, Heero. What have I done? _

_Please, forgive me._

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Thank you for all the awesome responses! You guys are the best, and I am so enjoying this story! And I'm even thinking about a sequel...! Please leave me a review – I'd really love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks,

Red


	8. Setting Things Straight

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its fabulous characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Seven: Setting Things Straight

When Duo climbed out of his Tacoma the following morning, Heero was waiting for him, his arms crossed over his hard chest, a cold and calculating glint in his Prussian blues. Duo began to fear for his life, knowing what reaction usually followed this stance. _But I haven't done anything! Why is he giving me the death glare? Uh oh. Last night must've been a wash._

"Hey, Heero. What's up?" Duo decided to play it cheerful as he strolled over to his friend. It was chilly at seven-thirty AM, but Heero wore only a light sweatshirt over his dark blue T. His expression remained unchanged, and Duo inwardly cringed. He and Hilde had been anxious to find out how Relena and Heero had gotten along the night before, but if Heero's countenance was any indication, things had not gone well.

Behind them, Trowa pulled inand parked his big burgundy GMC, and Quatre soon arrived as well. Wufei was already there, and had gone into the massive Nickerson beach mansion to finish up what he'd been working on the day before. "Morning," Trowa said as he approached Heero and Duo. He noted the tension but didn't comment on it.

"Hey, Tro." Duo took a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "So, uh, Heero. How did last night go?" _Might as well get this over with._

Trowa raised an eyebrow. _Oh, that's right. Heero was going to Relena's last night. _His curiosity piqued, the tall man paused in his steps. He saw Quatre coming, a grin on the blonde's face. Quatre was always grinning, it seemed like. "Good morning, everyone," he called out. Wufei appeared in the doorway of the big house, and when Duo saw all of his friends around them, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Heero wouldn't beat him up _now_, hopefully.

Heero's countenance darkened and he took a step toward Duo. "What happened to Relena before she came here?" he asked. It made no difference that the other guys were there.

Duo's cobalt blues widened. That hadn't been what he was expecting. "What do you mean?" he asked, and his tone was low, with only a hint of surprise in it.

Heero's gaze got hard and his muscles tightened. "You _know_ what I mean, so tell me. What happened to her?"

The other men exchanged curious looks. They all knew that something had happened out in California, but Duo had never volunteered any information, and they hadn't bothered to ask.

Duo sighed wearily. "I think you should ask Relena, Heero."

The other man shook his head. "No. It would upset her. Just tell me." Now there was a menacing growl in his voice, and Duo knew he had little choice but to comply.

"Sean Harris, one of Matthew's best friends, came over to visit Relena, only, well, that wasn't really his intention." Duo's eyes became fiery as he remembered his conversation with Relena that night, and his hands balled into fists. "He got pretty fresh with her, and it scared her."

"I thought so." Heero swore and closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to calm down.

"What do you mean, you thought so? What happened last night, huh?" Duo questioned coldly, and when Heero opened his eyes he saw his friend standing barely two feet away, anger humming through his body, his blue orbs icy and slightly accusatory.

"Nothing, Duo." Heero made to turn away but Duo reached out and grabbed his right forearm, causing Heero to stop and glare at him. "Let go of me, Maxwell."

Duo shook his chestnut head, his long braid slapping against his broad back. "Tell me what happened, Yuy."

Quatre had stepped forward, ready to intervene if things got nasty, but Heero waved him back. He supposed he owed it to Maxwell to explain – the guy was not only one of his best friends, but one of Relena's as well. "We were talking about our families, and she said she hadn't seen her brother since Matt's funeral. She was upset and I – I tried to comfort her, but she panicked." Heero met Duo's suddenly relenting gaze. "I knew someone must have tried to hurt her, and I knew you'd know who."

Duo's anger began to recede, but there was a growl in his deep voice when he said, "Sorry, Heero. I guess maybe I should've told you about Sean. The guy pretty much attacked her. She can barely let _me_ give her tight hugs any more."

"A guy like that should be put in jail," Wufei said, shaking his raven head. "Hurting a woman just shows how weak he really is."

"You didn't beat him up?" Trowa asked, looking at Duo, who shrugged.

"I wanted to pay him a visit, but Relena wouldn't let me. She's always been too gentle a person," the chestnut-haired man said with a deep sigh.

"No wonder you went out there so quickly," Quatre said, a sad gleam in his aqua eyes. He was a sensitive soul, and he could only imagine how upset and frightened Relena must have been.

"Yeah. She doesn't really have anyone else to turn to, ya know?" Duo's eyes dimmed a little and his shoulders sagged.

"Well, she's here now," Trowa said firmly. His emerald eyes sparkled faintly. "She has all of us for support." Wufei and Quatre quickly added their agreement, and all eyes swung to Heero, who hadn't said anything.

But he wasn't quite sure what to say. He wasn't sure what his feelings were. Yes, he felt protective toward her. Yes, he was attracted to her. And he was beginning to want a relationship, as long as it progressed slowly, but Relena's reaction, though understandable, had spooked him. He raised his Prussian gaze to meet Duo's bright blue orbs. "No else will hurt her, Duo. Not while she's here," he said, a hard conviction in his voice.

"I know." Duo wasn't going to push Heero for anything else. The guy liked Relena. That was enough for now, probably for both of them. "I need to call Hilde," he said and walked a short distance away while the others filed into the house to get started.

Hilde would have to do some damage control, because he was sure Relena was upset.

And they couldn't have that.

**Gundam Wing**

Two hours later, Relena was pacing in her kitchen, her honey hair pulled back in a careless, low ponytail. Hilde leaned against the kitchen counter, her lips pursed, as she studied her friend. Relena had sounded upset on the phone, but Hilde had not been expecting her to be this distraught.

"Lena, I'm sure Heero doesn't—"

"Hilde! I completely freaked out! I scared him. He'll never want to talk to me again!" Relena spun around to face her, and tears hovered in her gentian eyes. Her face was pale and her body trembled. "It was such a stupid thing to do. I know, _know_ he would never hurt me!"

"Relena, honey, Heero knows what happened between you and Sean. Duo told—"

"What? Why?" Relena started to feel her tears slipping down her cheeks. "He's going to hate me!"

Hilde immediately went to her friend and hugged her. "No, honey, he won't. Listen to me. Heero figured out that someone must have tried to hurt you, and he demanded that Duo tell him what happened. And besides, sweetie, Heero's not like that. I think he really likes you, and that's why he wanted to know," Hilde said softly, giving Relena a loose squeeze.

Relena sniffled and drew back, away from her friend's embrace. She ran her hands over her face, wiping at the traces of tears. This wasn't her, this outright emotional break-down. She had learned to school and conform her feelings so that her true ones didn't have to show, but all that practice just fled when she thought about Heero. "I-I'm sorry, Hilde. I shouldn't be this worked up. I just...oh, Hilde, we were getting along so well! He really likes my books, and he seemed so interested in me." Despair blazed in her violet-blue eyes, and Hilde frowned, reaching out to take Relena's hand.

"He _is_ interested in you, Lena. What happened last night won't matter. And what happened between you and Sean, well, that will only make Heero want to protect you. It's in his nature," the dark-haired woman said, trying to reassure her friend. She needed to cheer Relena up. "Why don't we go shopping? I know some great places."

"You're just trying to take my mind off this," Relena mockingly accused, a faint shimmer in her eyes.

"Is it working?" Hilde asked, smiling. "Come on. I know a great Chinese restaurant. Its Wufei's favorite."

"Okay. Let me change first." Relena collected herself and turned to walk out, then glanced back at Hilde over her left shoulder. "Thank you, Hilde, for everything."

Her friend blushed. "Oh go on. Get ready." She didn't need to say anything else. Relena knew how she felt. As the other woman disappeared into the hallway, Hilde called Duo back to report.

Damage control had been effective.

**Gundam Wing**

By six o'clock that night, Heero could no longer stand it. He couldn't let things be the way they had ended last night between himself and Relena. He'd thought about her all day, about her easy smile and sweet laugh, and the way she'd lit up when talking about writing. And she liked motorcycles...

"What?" He realized he'd slipped back into a daydream and looked up at Wufei, who had a knowing smirk on his face.

"I said we're finished for the night."

"Oh." Heero put away the hammer he'd been using and took a moment to sweep his gaze around the den he'd been working in. The room was almost finished, as was the house. It would be good to have it done – he was ready for a different project. He followed Wufei outside and waved at Trowa and Quatre as they drove off. Wufei soon left, and Heero found himself alone with Duo, who was slouched up against the bumper of his truck.

"What?" Heero asked, slightly irritated. He didn't need Duo warning him again not to play with Relena's emotions, as he had already told him twice that day.

"Gees, relax." Duo studied him, and for once his usually-open face was guarded. Heero put his hands on his hips and glared back at him. "Do you really care about her?" Duo finally asked, his voice quiet with concern.

"Yes, Duo. I already told you that. Why else would I still be so upset?" Heero asked, trying to tamp down his anger. Duo was one of Relena's best friends. He was just worried about her.

Duo slowly nodded, as if hesitant to accept his friend's words. "I know. I just – how do you feel about Sylvia being back in town?" He pushed himself upright and mentally tensed.

Heero's eyes immediately charged with blue lightning. "Is that what this is about, Maxwell? You think I still have feelings for my ex?" He knew his voice was shaking and tried to steady it as he went on. "I don't. She means nothing to me now. I like Relena. I want to get to know her. Syl has nothing to do with it."

"Really? You're still using Sylvia's nickname." Duo held up his hands as Heero's jaw tightened and he took a step toward him. "Heero, relax. I just want to make sure you're not going to use Relena as a shield against your ex. Relena's better than that."

"I know. And believe me when I say I've thought all day about this." Heero sighed. "I'm going over to see Relena tonight. I want her to know that I don't blame her for her reaction last night. I like her, a lot, and it might lead somewhere. We'll have to see." He couldn't be any clearer on his feelings, and Duo nodded.

"I accept that. Just, be gentle with her, okay? She's been hurt pretty badly," he said quietly.

"I will be. I'm not out to add to her problems." Heero glanced up as he felt rain hit his face. "See you tomorrow, Duo. Tell Hilde hi."

"Will do. And hey, if you, um, want to let me know how things go tonight, you can call—"

"Don't push it, Maxwell." Heero waved him off and walked to his Jeep. He needed to go home, shower, and change. But as he pulled out onto the newly-blacktopped road, he knew he couldn't wait that long. He had to set things straight now. With a small smile, he turned the Wrangler south.

**Gundam Wing**

Relena had just finished hanging up her new clothes when she heard the doorbell. Puzzled, she checked her appearance in her vanity mirror and headed to the door. When she saw a wet Heero on the other side, she couldn't breathe. Or move. Or talk.

"Hi." Heero knew he had shocked her. She had a wide look in her pretty eyes, and she seemed rooted to the floor. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, um, sure." Relena finally snapped out of her shocked state and moved aside to let him in, catching a faint whiff of pine and cedar as he walked by. Heero headed automatically to the kitchen and Relena trailed him, her heart leaping painfully against her rib cage. What was he doing here? Hadn't he been scared off by her panicked antics the night before?

Heero turned to face her, watching as she crossed her arms in front of her body, as if trying to protect herself. "Relena, Duo told me about Sean."

"I, I know. Hilde told me."

"And I'm sorry for what happened last night. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away," Heero said. "I never meant to scare you."

She nodded and chanced a look at him, and wished she hadn't. His dark jeans, wet from a quick sprint in the harshly-falling rain, clung to his lean hips and long legs. His dark blue T stuck to his upper torso like a second skin, outlining every beautiful muscle in a fascinating display. And his eyes – they were so deeply blue, so dark, so filled with rapidly-moving emotions – Relena felt her cheeks redden and quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry I panicked, "she whispered, feeling guilty. He shouldn't feel so bad about what had happened. "It wasn't your fault," she added, and startled when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She gazed up at him, into his clear Prussian orbs, and wondered how his ex could ever have left him.

"Relena, it wasn't your fault, either. It was a completely natural reaction." Heero spoke calmly, gently. "I like you, and I'd like to know you better, but I don't want to rush you. Maybe we could hang out with the others, do some group things," he quietly suggested, watching her closely, gauging her first reaction.

"I'd really like that, Heero," she said, a shy smile flirting on her soft petal lips. Heero's chest tightened, a sudden longing burning deep in his soul, and he had to consciously make an effort not to touch her face.He did not want to frighten her again.

"Great." He wasn't sure what to say now, until he heard her giggle a little. "What?" he asked, a slightly defensive note in his voice.

Relena smiled up at him, realizing just how much bigger he was. But now, his size wasn't intimidating – it was actually comforting. "You're dripping all over the floor," she told him softly. "Come on." Heero glanced down and his cheeks colored a little.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he followed her to the bathroom.

"No problem." Relena got out two fluffy blue towels and handed them to him, watching as he toweled his tousled chocolate hair before peeling his T shirt off. Her gentian eyes widened in blatant appreciation of his washboard stomach and abs, and the moderately hairy chest that rose and fell with each breath he took. A dark blush crept into her cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze, causing Heero to smile. He was almost tempted to tease her a little, but knew it was too soon for that.

"Better?" he asked instead, and she nodded, not daring to look at him.

"Would you like something to eat and drink?" she asked, and that shy tone was back in her voice.

Before he could answer, Heero's stomach rumbled, and he grinned as Relena giggled again. The sound of her soft laughter was a soothing salve to his heart, and he realized that he didn't want to leave anytime soon.

"I'll take that as a yes," Relena said and headed to the kitchen, calling back over her shoulder, "Feel free to look around."

"Okay." He paused in his stride and decided to go back to her office, for it was here, in this cluttered room, that he figured he'd find the most out about her. As he glanced over her books again, slower this time, he knew this was a major step for both of them. But he felt he was ready. Ready to at least see Relena in a social setting, anyway. So why was he still here? He had what he wanted. She had agreed to see him. And yet, he found he couldn't leave. Not yet.

Relena had warmed some lasagna for him, and went looking for her guest. When she saw him in the office, she caught her breath, because he just looked so, so _natural_ in there, as if he already belonged. And that was a little unsettling to her, but she welcomed the feeling all the same. She knew learning to let another man into her heart wasn't going to be easy: Matt had been her first, and only, love.

But Heero was something special. She felt it. And she would not let her fears and doubts sway her from getting to know him.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. One hundred reviews and nearly three thousand hits tells me I'm doing something right. And to Sylvia Fan, I am sorry that you feel I'm misrepresenting her. As I mentioned once before, I admire the woman. In retrospect, perhaps I should have used an OC for Heero's first wife, yet I wanted to use as many GW characters as possible, and she's one of the few other women to have a connection with him. And as you'll see, if you stick with this, she's not going to be shown as heartless. I have some personal background in dealing with an ex-wife; Sylvia's behavior represents what I perceive to be as normal for a woman who decides she may have made a huge error in running.

To everyone, hope you're having a lovely summer. It's beautiful here in west Michigan.

-Red


	9. Turn Up the Heat

_Gundam Wing_ and its characters belong to Bandai and Sunrise.

Set Me Free

Chapter Eight: Turn Up the Heat

An hour later, Heero and Relena sat once again on the couch, but the mood this night was much more relaxed, as both of them were comfortable with each other. Heero glanced around the living room, noting the vast DVD collection. "I take it you're a movie fanatic?" he asked, a smirk on his lips.

Relena blushed a bit and nodded. "Yes, actually. We used to go to the movies at least twice a week, even when nothing good was playing. It's just such a fun experience." It was nothing short of a miracle for her that she could sit here so calmly next to Heero while he was shirtless: his blue T was still in the dryer.

Heero smiled then. "Yeah, we went to the movies a lot, too. Sylvia was always in love with some actor." Even though the memory hurt him, there was no malice in his voice. She had made a choice not to be with him, but there was no use being hateful. He had tried that earlier in the divorce, and all it got him was a lot of misery.

Relena sipped her Mountain Dew, musing to herself over his attitude toward his ex. "Do you still miss her?" she asked softly, then added, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be nosy."

"You're not." Heero stayed silent for a few minutes, until Relena wasn't sure he'd answer her. "I do miss her some. But she walked away from me, so there isn't much lost love or anything."

"I can imagine. I mean, I still miss Matt a great deal, but it's a different situation. He was taken...so violently." Her voice shook, but she wasn't going to cry. She'd done enough of that to last her lifetime. When she felt Heero's hand on hers, she gave him a soft smile.

"I'm sorry, Relena. I can't even begin to imagine," he said, and there was warm concern in his dark blue eyes that she found comforting. "If there's anything I can do—"

"You're doing it, Heero," she assured him, and his heart pounded at her sincerity. What was it about this woman that he found so enchanting? As he thought about what Sean had done, a dark anger stole over him, making his eyes narrow. He didn't realize his demeanor had changed until Relena whispered, "Heero, you're hurting my hand."

Releasing her immediately, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about what Sean did." He watched her closely, seeing her gentian eyes dim before she dropped her gaze. "Relena, no one will hurt you again. I promise."

She raised her eyes to his, and saw his determination mirrored in his Prussian blues. For some reason, she completely believed him, though they still didn't know one another that much. "Thank you," she said, and smiled. Heero nodded, desiring to touch her face, and knowing he couldn't. Not yet.

"You're welcome." He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that Relena was learning he did often, and she found it very endearing. "I, um, I'll be getting my bikes out soon if the weather clears up. Would you like to go for a ride sometime?" he asked, and hoped she would say yes.

Her smile widened as she nodded. "I'd love to. Riding always makes me feel so free."

"Yeah, me too. Do you have a license?"

"No. I've only ever ridden with someone. I'm not sure I could handle a bike," she confessed, a bit embarrassed. Matt had never encouraged her to get a license; she believed this was because he didn't think she could drive a motorcycle that well, and she'd never questioned him.

Heero took note of her slight trepidation. "I'm sure you'd do just fine. They're pretty easy to handle once you get the feel of them."

She shifted a little on the couch, the movement bringing her closer to him. "I think for now I'd rather just ride," she said, glancing out the front bay window as lightning slashed through the ebony night. A shiver wended across her slender shoulders, drawing Heero's immediate attention.

"You don't like storms?" he asked, concern in his low voice.

"They're alright. I've just never lived so close to the lake." _Or so far away from civilization._ Another shiver touched her spine as thunder rocked overhead, and she forced a smile. "It's just something I'll have to get used to," she said softly, so softly that Heero could barely hear her.

"You could probably stay with Hilde and Duo tonight. I'm sure they wouldn't care." He could have offered his home, but wasn't ready for that. They needed to know each other much better before he'd feel comfortable with her staying overnight.

"Oh, I know they wouldn't." Relena sighed. She could always depend on her friends, but right now she didn't want to. It had been her decision to live all the way out here. "So what do you do for fun?" she asked, hoping she sounded nonchalant as she looked at him. Her eyes slid quickly to his bare, toned chest and she could feel a deep blush coming on even as she glanced away.

Heero had to hide the smile that wanted to stay at his lips, for he feared it would only further embarrass her. Instead, he answered her. "Besides bikes? Pretty much anything that interests me. I've got a Sea-Doo and a Ford Bronco that I run on the dunes. Wintertime, I like to snowmobile."

"So anything that has a motor, right?" There was an almost-teasing tone in her soft voice.

"Pretty much. You?"

"I love to run or take walks. I love the movies. And..." Her voice trailed off as she ducked her head so he couldn't see her face.

Heero's left eyebrow went up. "And?" he prompted firmly.

"Well, this is kind of silly. I love to take my Mini out on curving roads and drive really fast." Relena shrugged, turning her gentian eyes back to his Prussian blue ones. "Driving clears my head, because it's just me and the car. Nothing else matters." She waited for his opinion, hoping he wouldn't think her crazy.

"I think that sounds fun, not silly," he told her. "I do that with my bikes, too. I can get away from everything." And there had been a lot to get away from in the past year. Relena could see it in his blue eyes.

Her phone rang and she got up to answer, not knowing that her guest watched her every move. "Hello?" The phone went dead at once, and Relena felt something unsettling come over her. Heero picked up on her mood as she sat beside him again.

"No one there?" he asked, a frown toying with his lips.

"There was, but they hung up," she said, shaking her head a little. She had to put it out of her mind, or it would bother her all night.

But Heero was too keenly observant. "It made you nervous," he said, his tone low and direct.

"Yes. I'm not sure why—" The phone went off, and Relena shuddered. She made to get up, but Heero beat her to it, moving to the phone with the grace of a tiger.

"Hello?" he barked, a scowl on his face. When the other person immediately hung up, he swore under his breath. Who would be pranking Relena? He turned to face her, softening his gaze at the glint of fear in her eyes. "Do you know anyone who might be doing this?" he asked, and she shook her head, her ponytail swaying.

"No. No one except Duo, Hilde, my brother, and Anne, my agent, have my number," she said.

"It's not listed?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no." Relena jumped as thunder shook the cottage, and Heero walked back to her, sitting close to her on the couch. "I'm sorry, Heero. I shouldn't be this nervous." She reached up to finger her silver cross necklace that she usually wore; the gesture was both familiar and comforting.

Heero reached out and caught her left hand gently between both of his. Relena looked at him and saw a soft compassion in his eyes, a compassion that she realized she needed. "You don't have to apologize, Relena." Heero wasn't sure what else to say. He wanted badly to comfort her, but didn't know exactly how to do it. "I can stay for awhile longer if you want," he finally offered, his tone quiet.

"I'd like that," she told him, feeling better. She wasn't a coward, but the thought of being alone in a thunderstorm with someone harassing her on the phone was a bit unnerving. And Heero, sitting so close and holding her hand, was a most-welcome comfort. He squeezed her hand as if understanding what her thoughts were.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asked, sensing he needed to distract her.

"Okay. What do you like?" Relena got up, smiling a little as he followed, still holding her hand. They walked over to the oak bookcase that was filled with DVDs, and Heero began reading over the titles while Relena waited, eager to see which one he would choose.

He was surprised and pleased to find that her collection covered everything from classics to horror, although he couldn't see her actually watching anything scary, at least by herself. "How about American Graffiti?" he asked, pulling the movie off the shelf.

Relena's eyes lit up as she smiled. "I love that one. It has everything."

"My thoughts exactly." Heero finally released her hand and went to put the movie in. Relena retreated to the kitchen for pop and popcorn, and all at once she had to stop as a dizzying feeling of normalcy came over her. She had missed having a guy around. And almost as soon as that thought entered her mind, she felt guilty. How could she be thinking like this? How could she be feeling so comfortable with Heero?

"Relena?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at the object of her musings as he approached her. He was so handsome, and his body hummed with fine perfection. And he very well may have been one of the nicest and sweetest guys she'd ever known. Her cheeks reddened at the waywardness of her thoughts, and Heero frowned.

"Are you alright?" His question was not so easy for her to answer, and he could feel the tension in the air. It seemed to snap, whipping the air into a frenzy. "Is this too much? Too soon?"

"I don't think so," she whispered, knowing she wanted this. She needed this. But it was hard to get past the notion that it was too early for these feelings. Matt hadn't even been gone a year. When she quietly told Heero what she was feeling, understanding gleamed deep in his dark blue orbs.

"We'll take all the time we need, Relena. No one's going to be rushing us, least of all me. Would you rather I leave?" He wanted to be as accommodating as he could be.

She shook her head. "No. I'd rather you stay and watch the movie with me," she said softly, and could tell he was very pleased with her answer.

"Good. I didn't want to leave." He helped her get things together in the kitchen and carried a big bowl of popcorn back to the living room while she handled two cans of Mountain Dew. He swore that she lived off the green liquid.

As they watched the movie, he found himself paying more attention to her, noticing her laugh, the way she smiled, the glistening shine of her honey-blonde hair in the dim light she had left on. She smiled at him every so often, and giggled when their hands would grab for the same popcorn, and when he reached out to hold her hand, she winked at him.

"Heero?"

"Yes, Relena?" He gazed into her pretty eyes and felt his heart race at the emotions there.

"Thank you for coming over tonight," she said, her eyes locked with his. Though she wanted to respond to what her body was telling her to do, to just lean forward a little, to press her lips to his, she couldn't. Her mind was still in control, still telling her this was much too soon for a physical relationship. It had to be enough that they were friends.

"You're welcome," he said, his deep voice a mere whisper in her ears. He too wanted a kiss, to hold her tight in his arms, and yet he had to refrain. He was beginning to see that she was completely different from his ex, that he could trust her, but rushing things would not be good. And he had told her they wouldn't hurry things.

Relena squeezed his hand and turned back to the movie, but Heero's attention remained on her. He thought of the two phone calls, and knew that he would worry all tonight about them. He'd have to make sure all her doors and windows were locked and secure before he left.

A smile briefly touched his lips. He liked having a woman to care for again.

**Gundam Wing**

Ben Travis stared for a long time at the phone he held in his big hand. Relena Darlian. It was a very pretty name, and she was a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was not alone this night. No, Heero Yuy was there as well, and he refused to tangle with _that _guy. He'd already done that once and barely walked away.

But Relena was worth getting into trouble for. Her hair looked so soft, and her body had curves in all the right places. And this was why he'd checked the phone company records for her number, since it was unlisted. Working for Verizon certainly had its advantages.

He'd hoped to see her tonight, but Yuy had foiled his plan. Still, there was plenty of time. She wasn't going anywhere. A lonely widow, living so far from town. It was like she was begging for his attention.

And he was only too eager to give it.

**Gundam Wing**

"Relena, I'm going to check your windows and doors before I leave," Heero said, standing to stretch after the movie ended.

"Okay. I'll get your shirt." She hurried to fetch it, though admitting to herself that she liked him better with it off. A blush touched her cheeks and she had to smile. Having Heero here tonight had been wonderful, and she was quite loathe to see him leave. Clutching the shirt in her hands, she went to find him.

Heero finished checking everything and was satisfied. She was as safe as she could be, although he'd feel better if she had a big dog. He turned at her voice and took his shirt from her, pulling it back on while she pretended not to watch. Her shyness was quite endearing.

"I checked everything," he told her. "All of the locks work."

"Yes, Quatre checked them all before I moved in," she said. "He helped Cathy and I move some things in."

"He's a good guy." Heero actually felt a little jealous of him – Relena was _his_ girl to worry about, though he was glad his friends were protective of her. He was protective of their wives, as well. It was the way their friendships worked.

"He is. And so are you, Mr. Yuy," Relena said, her voice struggling in her throat.

"Thanks." He watched her for several seconds. "If you ever need me, call, okay? I'll come on the run. I promise."

His heartfelt words brought tears to her eyes, but they were happy ones. She knew then just how deeply she'd been longing for a man who would be there for her when she needed him.

"Be careful going home," she whispered, not wanting him to leave. If anything, she wanted to lie down on the big couch and have him hold her, but again her mind stayed in control. She would not rush into this.

"I will. Make sure you lock this door when I leave," he told her quietly, a wealth of feeling in his voice. He saw a flicker of longing in her violet-blue eyes and had to mentally stay his body from reacting. He did, however, gently touch her right cheek for a moment. He simply had to touch her.

"I will. Goodnight, Heero." His touch ignited a burning deep in her soul, a burning she knew she could live with forever.

"Goodbye, Relena." He turned and left, the brisk night air cooling his heated body.

She would never know how difficult it was to turn away from her and walk out the door.


	10. Building Trust

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Nine: Building Trust

"Relena, you know this is a command performance," Anne told her two weeks later. "Windsor Publishing expects their star novelist to be there." The older woman's voice was a touch cold, and Relena frowned.

"I know, Anne, but I already have plans. Quatre and Cathy are having—"

"They don't pay you, darling. Now, should I make the travel arrangement, or can you handle that?" Anne knew she had her, and a smile graced her lips.

"Don't condescend to me, Anne. Don't forget who pays _you_." Relena knew she shouldn't be this upset, but she had been looking forward to the Winners' big party that they were throwing for their friends. "I can make the arrangements."

"Good. That's one less thing for me." Anne paused, knowing she was being catty. It came from California living and the career that ruled her life. "So how are things with Heero?"

The honey-blonde relaxed and smiled. "Very good. We see each other every day now."

"Will he come to LA with you?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I'll ask him," Relena said, and got out of her recliner when she heard the familiar crunching of gravel in her driveway.

"I think you should at least invite him," Anne encouraged.

"You just want to meet him."

"Of course. Well, I have to be going. But remember, the party is June fifth."

"Don't worry. I'll be there." Relena said goodbye and set her cordless phone down before practically running to the kitchen. The back door opened and Heero strode in, his chocolate hair tousled and falling over his right eye. He was wearing what Relena called his signature clothes: dark carpenter jeans with a few rips and a dark green muscle T. She smiled when he looked up and caught her gaze.

"Hey," he said, a twinkle in his deep Prussian blues.

"Hi. How was work?" Relena asked, moving closer to him. She enjoyed having him come over after work, enjoyed knowing that they were getting closer and closer together in their relationship.

"It was alright. The inspector was hassling Quatre, but that's normal." Heero reached up and swept the back of his fingers gently across her left cheek. "More importantly, how was _your_ day?" he asked, his deep tenor low and soft.

Relena smiled. "It was pretty good. I'm really close to finishing my last chapter, and then I can send it to my editor." Thinking about her editor made her think about her publisher, and her smile vanished. _The party. I really don't want to go. I don't want to be near California..._

"Relena."

She gazed up and saw the concern in his eyes. "Yes?"

"What's wrong? And don't tell me its nothing," Heero said, holding her chin gently.

"Anne called and told me Windsor Publishing is having a party, and I have to be there."

"You don't want to go?"

"Not especially. It's always so political, and it's a lot of backstabbing and naysaying and—"

"Then don't go," Heero interrupted. He let go of her chin and rubbed his thumb along her jaw line. Relena let her eyes close, thrilling to the feeling of him touching her.

"I have to, Heero," she murmured, and he frowned, dropping his hand away. Relena opened her eyes and looked up at him, seeing that he was a little upset. "Windsor Publishing is my publisher, and currently I'm their 'it' writer. It's not up to me whether I go or not. It's up to them," she quietly added.

"Is anyone going with you?" he asked and walked over to the big fridge. He took out a Coke and popped the top, swallowing back the achingly cold liquid. "Relena? Where is the party?"

"It's in LA, on June fifth." She debated whether or not to ask him to go. Was she ready to be seen in public with another man?

"Relena." Heero watched as she slowly raised her eyes to his. "Is anyone going with you?"

"Um, well, no. I, I mean, um, well—"

"Spit it out."

"Would you like to go with me?" The words came before she could think, and she waited with trepidation for his answer.

Heero was taken aback, but he was also pleased. It meant that she was gaining more confidence in him and in their tentative relationship. "Sure," he told her and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly when he saw her delight. "How formal is it?"

"Oh, very. Does that bother you?" All at once worry began to creep in and she bit her lip.

Heero set his Coke down on the table and went to her, putting his arms around her in a loose hold. Her eyes widened as she searched his own, but she didn't pull away. They were making progress. "No, it doesn't. I can behave in a formal setting, but only if I have to."

Relena waited for him to smile, to see if he was teasing her, but Heero gave nothing away. Finally, starting to feel both shy and a little contained, she started to back away from him. Heero chuckled, an amused smirk on his face. "Relena, relax. Yes, I'll go with you, and yes, I can do formal."

"Okay." He hadn't released her yet, but the need to get away from the circle of his arms was lessening. _Relax. You know he would never hurt you. He's never been anything but kind and gentle with you._ And yet, there was a part of her that refused to totally let him in. The pain of losing Matt was still extremely fresh in her mind, and getting close to another guy wasn't exactly easy for her.

Heero watched her closely, noting how tense her body was. _She still doesn't completely trust me, even after all the time we've spent together. _He knew he shouldn't feel angry, but he wanted her to let him in. "Relena, let's go for a drive."

"A drive?" She looked up at him again, into his piercing blue eyes, and had to fight off a shiver. "Okay."

"It's cool, so grab a jacket. I'll be outside." He knew maybe he'd sounded too cold, but he had to get away for a minute or two and let go of his anger.

She didn't deserve it.

Relena ran a brush through her honey locks and took her black and tan leather jacket from the closet. Shrugging into it, she walked into the kitchen, slipped her keys into her pocket, and went out to Heero's Jeep. He held the door open for her, and she gave him a small smile. She knew he wanted her to completely trust him, and that wasn't really an issue.

What _was_ an issue was letting him get close.

She'd already lost one man she'd loved.

_Love? Where did that come from? I don't love Heero! How could I? We still don't know each other that well!_ She jumped when Heero got in, and he gave her a curious look. Relena blushed.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice quiet, soothing.

She nodded. "I'm fine. So where are we going?" She knew her own voice sounded too bright and phony, but if he noticed (and she knew he did), he ignored it.

"A special place." He said nothing else, and Relena didn't feel like probing. She knew Heero wasn't overly talkative, and if forced to, gave only one-word answers.

She'd just have to ride along and act patient.

**Gundam Wing**

When Heero pulled the Wrangler off onto a dirt trail, Relena had a sudden flashback to one of her first dates with Matt. The thoughts weren't good. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the edges of her seat, praying that her companion wouldn't notice.

"Relena? What's wrong?" Heero asked, glancing at her. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Relena."

"I-I'm alright. Please keep driving," she whispered, and though he wanted an answer, Heero did as asked.

They crested a hill and he parked the Jeep. Sliding his seatbelt off, he looked at his passenger, and was surprised to see her shaking. "Relena. Relena, look at me." He reached out and, grasping her chin, turned her head so she was facing him.

Relena forced herself to look at him and was rewarded with his obvious concern. "S-sorry. Bad experience," she said, hoping he wouldn't press her for more information. Heero studied her for several long moments, his blue gaze solid and eerily searching.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he finally asked, and caressed her cheek with a light touch. "We can go back if you want."

"No." Relena shook her head. "No, I want to stay." She forced a smile, but it didn't dispel the worry in her gentian eyes.

Heero knew she was lying, but there was too much distrust in her gaze for him to want to push her. But he had to wonder what bad experience she'd had. Was it with Matt? And if so, why? "Okay. Come on. I want to show you something." He got out and waited for her. It was almost six-thirty, but the sun was still shedding rays. Relena soon joined him, and he glanced at her before leading the way up a very steep path that led to a taller hill.

Relena silently cursed her weakness. _Why did I freak out? Nothing bad is going to happen_. She slipped a little on the sand that made up most of the trail, but before she lost her feet and tumbled, Heero had his hand on her elbow, steadying her. "It's not too much further," he encouraged, but there was a guardedness in his voice that made her feel bad. He kept his hand on her until they broke out onto the top of the hill, and then he went forward, leaving her on her own.

Relena walked up next to him and inhaled quickly, her eyes widening. "Oh, Heero..."

"Yeah, I know. I still feel like that, and I've been up here a few times," he said, his tone reverent. They stood on a sand dune that rose sharply out of the forest they'd been in, and Lake Michigan spread out before them like a massive aqua diamond. White caps skimmed across the surface while seagulls shrilled and dove, in search of food.

"Wow. I mean, the lake is right _here_." Relena glanced down the extremely steep hill and at the tiny beach the waves were pounding. "It's better than my view at home."

"I'm glad you like it." Heero looked down at her, seeing that she was now relaxed. He frowned for a moment, wishing that she would tell him what was troubling her. Didn't she realize that he wanted to help her? That he wanted to be there for her?

"Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for freaking out in the Jeep. I, um, I had a bad time once," she said softly. "But thank you for bringing me here. It's so beautiful."

"You're welcome." He decided to chance a bad reaction and reached out for her hand, squeezing it very lightly. He was thrilled when she squeezed back. "You do know that I'm here for you if you want to talk," he said, glancing again at her.

"I know." Yes, she knew, but was she ready to tell him more about hers and Matt's relationship? Would he think Matt was a bad guy? And, there was still guilt over Matt's death. She hadn't told him she loved him. The Peacecraft family curse had worked.

"Okay." Heero felt frustration back building, and knew he had to either let it go, or work it out. "Relena, I want you to trust me. I know you—"

"I _do_ trust you, Heero. Trust isn't the issue. You've never given a reason not to trust you," she said quietly. She swallowed hard and looked out over the big lake. "I guess I'm just afraid of getting too close to you. I don't want to lose another person." The admission should have lightened her heart, but instead she only felt more miserable. Surely Heero wouldn't want to be with someone so afraid of being in love.

But instead of him recoiling, he reached around her, drawing her into a tight circle. "I'm not going anywhere, Relena. I promise," he said, his voice husky and low, and it was so sweet in her ears, and she knew she'd never heard a sexier voice. She relaxed and laid her head on his solid chest, his strong heartbeats a welcome cadence.

"Thank you, Heero, for everything," she whispered, hugging him fiercely. He squeezed her gently, happy to finally have her in his arms, the way he'd wanted two weeks ago.

The feeling was everything he'd known it would be.

And he would do everything in his power to keep it.

**Gundam Wing**

"Heero, are you sure you won't come in?" Relena asked quite a bit later that night. After spending time at his special place, they had gone out for dinner and then gotten ice cream, and were now back at Relena's. She gazed up at him with shyness, and he knew if he didn't retreat now, he'd end up going in.

"Not tonight. It's getting pretty late," he said. He wanted to, of course, but felt that they needed some space. It wouldn't do either of them any good to rush things. "I had fun tonight."

"Me too." Relena didn't want him to go yet. She was starting to open up to him, and in doing so, her feelings were growing as well. He was very handsome, his body athletic, but it was so much more than that. Heero was sweet and gentle, and someone she could trust. "Will you come over tomorrow?"

Heero's mouth turned up a little and he leaned down to her. "Of course," he whispered, just brushing the words over her ear. Relena blushed, a smile on her face. "Remember to check all—"

"The doors and windows. I remember. You always do it before you leave," she interrupted, looking up at him, a twinkle in her eyes. She knew that soon she would be comfortable enough to tell him everything that she wanted to, and the thought made her smile widen.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow." Heero decided tonight was the right time for what he'd been planning to do for at least a week, and he very softly kissed Relena on her right cheek. "Call if you need me," he reminded her, his tone sweet and low and strong.

"I will," Relena whispered. There wasn't much else she could do at that point. _He kissed me. Heero kissed me!_ Yes, it was just on the cheek, but it still made her stomach jump with heat and giddiness. "Be careful going home."

"Always." Heero touched her cheek before walking back to his Jeep. The kiss had gone well; he could only hope that soon he would be able to kiss her on the lips. _This is so hard. I want to be closer to her, but I know I can't push her too fast. Still, she's much more relaxed with me now. _And yet, she hadn't felt comfortable enough to tell him why she'd gotten upset in the Wrangler, and he found himself wondering what could have happened.

Relena watched until the taillights disappeared and went inside. She checked all her doors and windows before readying for bed. Smiling into her vanity mirror, she touched her right cheek. _Heero kissed me._ It was exciting, and she realized that she was ready to let him in, at least more that what she had. Turning off the lights, she got into bed and curled up on her left side. There would be good dreams tonight.

**Gundam Wing**

Ben Travis narrowed his eyes as Heero drove away, and his big hands clenched at his sides. He would not let Relena get away from him. Glancing one last time in the direction Yuy had gone, Ben moved on silent feet toward the cottage.

Locked doors and windows were no deterrent to him.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know that I've recently been having trouble with my email account kicking all emails into the spam folder. I'm aware of the problem now, but if you had messaged me from and I never responded, it's because of the problem.

Thanks,

Red


	11. Breaking and Entering

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Ten: Breaking and Entering

A soft rain was falling now as Heero drove toward his home. He switched on the wipers and listened for a few moments to their hypnotic swishing before focusing on what had happened with Relena. A smile touched his mouth. He had finally kissed her, though not in the manner he had wanted, but it was a start. After all, it'd been almost a year since she'd had any romantic attention, and nearly a year since he'd given any.

_I wonder how much of a romantic she is. I wonder how her husband was with her. A candy and flowers kind of guy?_ He himself wasn't that. It just wasn't in him to be that way. But he knew how to treat a lady. He thought back again to how Relena had reacted in the Jeep, how she had panicked, and how she hadn't told him what was bothering her. Something told him it had to do with Matt, and that quickly wiped out his good mood.

_I need to ask Duo how Matt treated Relena. So help me, if that guy ever did wrong by her..._ Not of course that he could _do_anything to the guy, but still. He knew Duo wouldn't like the like the questioning, but he _would_ understand Heero's line of thought. _I wonder if that person has ever called Relena again. She's never mentioned it._ The phone calls two weeks ago had upset her, he knew, but she had been calm, and he admired that.

He began to slow down to turn into his drive, realizing then how tired he was. Construction work kept him physically fit, but he was also drained by the end of a long day. He parked outside and went into his house, setting his cell phone down so he could charge it. Taking a Coke out of the fridge, he padded down the wooden-floored hallway to his room and went in, undressing and grabbing a pair of gray sweats to pull on.

He sighed a little. It was nice to be home.

**Gundam Wing**

Locked doors. Ben Travis just smiled and inserted a lock pick into the back door of Relena's cottage and quietly let himself in. He shut the door and waited, but heard no movement. She hadn't heard him. So far, he was on top, and if all went well, it would remain that way.

He went down the hall, stopping first at a door that was partly open. Pushing it all the way open, he moved inside, taking in the contents in a quick glance. Nothing. Turning to walk out, he bumped into a leather office chair and sent the stack of books on it careening off onto the floor. Despite the carpet, they landed with a solid thud, and Ben barely stopped his ranting.

She would've heard that.

He had to move fast.

**Gundam Wing**

Relena's dream was already fractured into pieces she didn't quite understand when a loud noise from down the hall brought her to a sitting position. She took a light breath, straining her ears. Her heart raced as she slipped out of bed and glanced toward her shut door. Her cell phone lay on the bedside table, and she remembered Heero's words: "Call if you need me." She knew he had meant it, but perhaps she had only imagined the noise. But then she heard a faint click and realized a door down the hall was either being opened or closed, and she felt panic slide all through her body, its clammy grip threatening to choke her.

She grabbed her phone and went to the far side of her room, sitting on the floor as she dialed Heero's cell. _Please, please answer, _she begged.

"Relena? What's wrong?" Heero's voice was quiet but popping with concern.

"Someone's in the house," she said, trying not to speak much louder than a whisper.

Heero was out of bed and pulling on a T shirt. "Can you get out?" Jeans were next, the phone against his ear.

"I don't think so." Relena heard another click, and knew the intruder was at the other bedroom. "Heero, please help me," she said, tears gathering in her eyes. She tried to force them away. Crying would not help her.

"Hide as well as you can. I'm on my way." Heero hung up and ran down the hall. He jerked on his boots and sprinted to the garage. Flipping on the light and raising the main door, he didn't pause as he grabbed a set of keys out of a hidden cabinet and went to the ZZR. He straddled the street bike, started it, and drove out in a screech of smoke.

**Gundam Wing**

Ben came to the last closed door and smiled. He'd been patient, and it had paid off. "Relena," he said, pushing the door open and scanning for a light. Flipping it on, he moved into the room and walked around the bed. Nothing. "Come on, sweetheart. You can't hide," he called out. There was one closet, closed, and he strode over to it, tugging the door open. It was large, a walk-in, and he frowned, moving inside, searching for the woman he was sure was here.

Relena wiggled out from beneath her bed as quietly as she could and took off running. She heard an angry shout behind her but didn't slow down. Her heart sounded like hooves on concrete, and she wasn't sure where she was going, but she couldn't stay here. Whoever the man was, he was here to cause her harm. She was sure of it.

Ben was big, but he hadn't been a track star that long ago, and his long strides overtook Relena by the kitchen. He caught hold of her left arm and jerked backward, getting a cry of pain out of her. _Not a bad way to start the night_, he mused as he knocked her to the floor.

Relena gasped in pain and stared up at the huge man towering over her. He looked familiar, and then she remembered: the gas station. The first time Heero had really paid any attention to her. Ben smiled down at her. "Thought you could run, Relena? You've been very bad," he said and hauled her to her feet. His grip was hurtful and he began dragging her back toward the bedroom that she had run out of.

"Let go of me!" Relena screamed, trying to resist. Ben stopped and turned on her. His hand connected with a smashing blow that drew blood from her trembling mouth and left a welt across her right cheek.

"Shut up," he growled, his light green eyes a heated tornado of anger. "Just shut up." Relena was shaking, and cowered when he raised his hand again. "I don't care if I hurt you," he warned and began dragging her down the hall again.

He could already envision her spread out on the bed, open to him, hiding nothing.

This was going to be fun.

**Gundam Wing**

Heero pulled the ZZR right up to the porch and barely took time to shut it off. The front door was locked, but nothing a fast and heavy shoulder couldn't move, and then he was running down the hall toward Relena's room. The door was open, the light was on, and his dark blue eyes could hardly register what he was seeing.

Ben, so into his total domination of the young woman he was straddling, didn't hear anything. He never knew danger was approaching until Heero let out a sound that could only be called a roar, and attacked. He grabbed Ben by the shoulders and jerked him backward, knocking him onto the dark navy floor. The big man had no time to defend himself – Heero was a tsunami of fists and punches, each strike hitting harder than the last.

Relena felt the heavy weight leave her in a hurry, and took a shuddering breath, trying to regain some sense of awareness. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal blurred violet-blue, afraid and wide. She heard grunts and a low, dead voice muttering curses that were both vile and valid, and she forced herself to sit up half-way.

"Heero?" She blinked hard, tears coursing down her pallid cheeks. "Heero?" Her voice grew louder, more desperate, and Heero suddenly stopped in mid-punch, his head swinging around in her direction.

"Relena." He got to his feet and kicked Ben in the side, hearing a sickening snap as ribs broke, and went to the bed, his Prussian blues sweeping over the young woman. "Shh. I'm here now," he said and gathered her into his strong arms. Relena broke down then, all of her fear washing through her system.

Ben made a low moaning noise and was still. Heero stroked Relena's soft, mussed hair and tried to bring himself down from the euphoric fury that had fed his fists. His breathing began to settle, but Relena's breaths were still rapid, her crying still deeply wrenching.

"Shh, Relena. Try to calm down," Heero said softly, wishing that he could've prevented the attack from happening. "It's alright, honey. He won't hurt you ever again. I promise." He felt the weight of those two words, felt the seriousness, and hoped she did too. Relena shifted in his arms, snuggling closer against his chest. Heero rested his chin on the top of her head, and realized how much this felt right. He wanted to always be right here, to be here to comfort and take care of her.

"Y-you always, uhh, interfere." Ben had dragged himself to his knees and was glaring at Heero. "She belongs to me." His voice was hoarse and broken.

Heero felt his fury roiling up inside again and had to quash it. Relena needed him where he was. "This was your last time, Travis. You're going to prison," Heero said coldly. He glanced down at the soft golden head resting on his chest. "Honey, where's your phone?" he asked, his voice once again gentle.

Relena sniffled and pulled back, shivering. "On the floor," she told him, pointing. Heero made to get off the bed to get it, giving her a squeeze as he did so. He kept one eye on Ben, but the other man had used all the strength he'd had left and was now in no shape to be moving. Heero dialed 911, turning away to talk. Relena didn't need to hear him explaining what had happened. The dispatcher taking the call assured him cops and an ambulance would be out soon, and Heero hung up. He wondered if he should call Duo and Hilde, but almost as soon as the thought appeared, he dismissed it. Call him selfish, but he wanted to be the only comfort Relena had, at least tonight.

She was watching him with wide eyes, her arms wrapped around her torso. Ben hadn't gotten around to taking her clothes off, for which Heero would forever be grateful. He walked over to the bed and reached out a hand to her. "Come on, baby," he coaxed, his deep tenor a lifeline to the young woman. Relena took it and let him lead her to the kitchen. "Sit," Heero directed softly, then went to the fridge and took out an ice water for her.

"Thank you," she whispered, opening the bottle and taking a delicate swallow. Heero got a Coke and sat down next to her, studying her closely for the first time. His eyes narrowed as he took in the dried blood on her mouth and the dark red welt on her right cheek. She was also cradling her left arm. He reached out and gently swept the back of his hand across the mark on her cheek, his eyes growing stormier. Relena flinched at the contact, but it was to her credit that she didn't completely shy away.

"He'll pay for this," Heero growled and started to get up, determined to bring more pain down on Ben, but a small hand grabbed his, halting him. "Relena—"

"Please stay with me," she said, and her eyes filled with tears again. "Let the police handle him."

Heero sighed a little. He wanted to comfort her, but the injuries on Relena's lovely face and slender arm demanded retribution, and he was eager to give it. If he had his way, Ben Travis would never walk again. "Honey, he needs to be punished for what he did." His voice was low, with a deadly undertone that made her shudder.

"He will be, Heero," she said quietly. "Just stay out here with me." There was a pleading look in her eyes that he couldn't ignore, and he nodded, leaning forward to press a very light kiss to her pale forehead.

"Okay. What hurts?" he asked, watching her carefully. He already knew she had a tendency to play down her injuries.

"My arm still hurts. He grabbed me from behind and knocked me down," she said softly, looking at the floor. Heero's eyes flashed, and he very nearly went back to the bedroom to throttle the other man, but stilled the impulse.

"I'll get some ice." He got up and went to the freezer. Taking out an ice pack (he knew she used them sometimes to ice down her knees after running), he took it over to her and held it to her forearm. Relena jumped at the sudden coldness, inhaling a deep breath, and Heero knelt down so he was on her level. "Sorry." He didn't want to cause her any more pain. "You feel okay, honey?" The pet name rolled effortlessly off his tongue.

Relena met his concerned gaze and felt the twinge of tears in her eyes. Swallowing hard, forcing back her panicky feeling, she said, "I think so. You...you won't leave me?"

He heard the fear in her question and shook his head, his tousled chocolate hair falling over his right eye. "No, I won't. I can stay here with you, or you can come back to my place. Whatever makes you feel safe."

"Wherever you are, handsome. That's where I feel safest," she whispered, and Heero had to swallow back the hard lump that stole into his throat at her words. He knew now, without a doubt, that he was really falling in love with her. How he hadn't guessed it before, he wasn't sure. _Probably because I wasn't ready._ _I'm not sure I am, yet. But she means everything to me._

"Come here." Heero lifted Relena into his arms, not sure what he was planning. Her gentian eyes were bright and so trusting, so warm...A knock sounded at the door, breaking their heated eye contact. Heero, with great reluctance, set her down and went to let the cops and EMT crew in, knowing that whatever might have happened would now just have to wait.

**Gundam Wing**

Two hours later Heero sat down on the couch and watched as Relena laid her honey head in his lap. The cops had taken a statement from Relena while the EMT personnel bundled Ben's injuries, all while he grumbled and complained. The cops had assured Relena that her attacker would be locked up as soon as he could be moved to a prison. She would have to come down to the station the next day to press charges, but for now, she could just relax in the strength that was Heero.

"Thank you for coming tonight," she said, looking at the TV where an old rerun of _I Love Lucy_ was playing in all its celluloid glory. "You didn't have to."

"Yes I did," Heero said emphatically. "Relena, I care about you a lot. I promised I would come if you needed me." It disturbed him that she thought he might not help her when she needed it. "Why did you think I wouldn't?"

"I didn't say that." Her voice sounded forced, and she sat up, taking a deep breath. She glanced at Heero, and saw the frown on his face. "Heero, it's just that I've never really had anyone who I could always count on—"

"What about Matt?"

"It's complicated. I mean, he was there for me, but he had a lot of commitments, and—"

"Nothing should've been as important as you." Heero touched her left cheek. His Prussian eyes were bright, as if lit from within by blue flames. "I will always be here for you, honey. No matter what."

Relena's heart fluttered a little at his solemn words. Her gaze locked with his, and she found herself leaning forward before she realized her intention. "Heero..."

"Shh." Heero cupped her face gently in his strong hands and drew her mouth to his. Their first contact was soft, tentative, but as Relena relaxed, Heero melded his mouth more firmly with hers, taking command of the moment. He drew back after an indefinable amount of time and waited for her eyes to open. When they did, he smiled and rubbed a thumb along her delicate jaw line.

"Never doubt me, love," he said, his voice husky with unfettered emotion. "Never."

"I won't," Relena softly assured him, and, intertwining her hands in his thick hair, pulled him close again for another drawn-out kiss.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Yes, I remember that I said I would update this story every week. And yes, I know I'm failing on that a little. But it's summer, I have two kids, I work...yada yada yada. Anyway, updates might take a little longer because I'm trying to get my original finished so I can find a publisher for it. So, bear with me, mmkay? Thanks! You guys rock. And Star – when are _you_ updating your fantasy A/U!

-Red


	12. Whenever You Need Me

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Eleven: Whenever You Need Me

"So is Relena okay?" Duo asked the following morning. Quatre had gotten a call from Heero, who wouldn't be coming into work that day.

"Heero said she's okay. A little banged up, but not badly," Quatre said, his aquamarine eyes troubled. "Why would any man do that?"

Wufei snorted. "He's not a man. He's just a scared, useless little boy living out some sick fantasy." His tone was decidedly fierce. "Heero should've killed him."

Trowa shook his head. "No. He was right in beating him up, but—"

"_I _would've killed him, if he'd done that to Sally."

Trowa's somber eyes locked on Wufei's flashing ones. "Then you would've been wrong. Ben Travis needs a long jail sentence to think about what he did."

"Well, whatever, but I wish I would've been there, too," Duo cut in, and both men saw the fury in their friend's cobalt eyes. They were quiet for a few minutes, each thinking about what happened, and how they would have reacted had Ben attacked their wives.

The resultswould've been the same.

Only Wufei might've actually killed him.

Quatre sighed to himself. He couldn't even begin to imagine someone attacking Cathy. And if anything were ever to happen to her – "Okay, guys. Let's get at it," he said, breaking off his maddening line of thought. They had just started work on another beach house, and Quatre wanted to get the bulk of the framework done by the end of the week.

Duo moved slowly toward the site, his thoughts still on Relena. He was glad she had called Heero, and that nothing bad had really happened. Still, the thought of his friend being attacked, especially in her own home, was enough to blind him with fury.

But Relena was safe, and would continue to be safe if Heero had anything to say about it, so Duo knew he needed to concentrate on his work.

Otherwise, like Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, he may well end himself up in the ER.

**Gundam Wing**

"Hilde, she's fine. Really. Yes, I stayed with her last night." Heero fought to keep the frustration out of his voice. "No, she can't talk. She's sleeping." Well, maybe not exactly _sleeping_, but Relena was resting, and he wasn't going to let her be disturbed. "She'll call you later." Heero hung up and walked back into the living room, where the honey-blonde was laying on the couch. She was watching an old musical, but Heero knew she wasn't really paying attention.

"Who was it?" Relena asked, looking up at him. He saw the tiredness in her violet-blue eyes and frowned. Kneeling next to her, he reached out to push some hair back behind her ear.

"It was Hilde. I told her you were okay, and you'd talk to her later," he said. "Why don't you go get some sleep, honey? You can sleep in the guest room if you want," he added firmly. They weren't officially dating yet, but the kisses they'd shared the night before had definitely not been something just friends would share, and he felt he could be a little bit bossy with her.

"I guess I should. I'm pretty tired." Relena yawned and rolled into a sitting position. Heero stood and took her hand to help her up, and his eyes swam with concern. She hadn't slept hardly at all the night before, and had refused to try and sleep until now. The guest room was warm and cheerful, with shades of yellow and green decorating everything from the floor to the bed to the walls, and Heero knew she would be more comfortable in here.

Relena snuggled down into the bed and looked up at him with an almost wary expression. "Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked.

Heero frowned a little and sat down on the edge of the queen-sized bed. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, a little bit of an edge in his voice.

Relena blushed and looked away from his stern gaze. She didn't want to answer him. She didn't want to have to explain why she was afraid he would be gone when she awoke. But Heero wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily. He reached out and took hold of her chin in his hand, his hold gentle but very firm.

"Relena."

She was always amazed how much emotion he could confer in just one word. "Well, I thought maybe you might have something better to do," she admitted.

"Better to do?" His tone was cool. "I care about you. I don't plan on leaving you alone for a long time, okay?" Heero knew there had to be a reason why she was worried about him leaving, but he didn't want to press her for information. She'd already been through a bad ordeal.

"Okay." Relena yawned again and her eyes slid shut.

Heero leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Sleep well," he murmured and quietly left the room, leaving the door open a bit. He went back to the living room and began flipping through the Direct TV channels, already feeling bored. He wanted to talk to Duo about Matt, but figured he should wait until his friend was on lunch. Then he would call him.

And hopefully learn more about the woman he had lost his healing heart to.

**Gundam Wing**

"Talk, Duo." Heero's voice was low, almost mono-tone. But the man on the other end of the phone call knew Heero's voice would pick up impatience rather quickly if he didn't get the information he wanted.

Duo leaned back against his truck's bumper. "He was good to her." He swallowed back some Coke. "Really good. In fact, she was pretty spoiled."

Heero considered the information. "Did they spend a lot of time together?"

"Yeah. But I know that he was really busy. They had to cut quite a few vacations short because of his job. Relena always acted like it didn't bother her, but I know it did," Duo told him, his deep voice quiet. "But he always tried to make it up to her."

"I see." So far Heero wasn't really learning that much.

"Why the questions?" Duo asked. "Did Relena say something about Matthew?"

"She said she'd had a bad time once when she was out on a trail, and I know she and Matt used to go Jeeping," Heero said. "I thought maybe something had happened." He glanced down the hallway, but the door to the guest room was still mostly closed.

"Really? I can't remember her ever telling me something had happened...hmm. I'd have to ask Hilde." Duo glanced over at his friends. They were all talking, and something clearly had Wufei edgy – he was throwing his hands around in the air. Duo frowned.

"There's something else, too. She's always worried that I won't be here. Like when she went to sleep this afternoon, she was afraid I wouldn't be here when she woke up," Heero said and got up from the kitchen table to pace. "She worries about that a lot. And she worries that she's bothering me."

Duo sighed. "Lena has never been one to feel comfortable asking people, even her friends, for help. She always worries that she's going to bother us. And..." Duo broke off. He didn't want to say anything else, because he really didn't want Heero getting a bad impression of Matthew.

"And?"

"Heero, maybe you should—"

"I'm not asking Relena anything yet, so talk," his friend ordered.

"Okay, fine. Let me put it this way: Relena and Matthew's marriage was happy. But he was a busy man, and he wasn't always there for her when she needed him to be."

Heero stopped moving. "So she doesn't expect me to be, either."

"Right. Look, like I said, they were happy. Lena was devastated when Matthew was killed," Duo told him. He felt bad for telling Heero about Matthew's absenteeism, because he honestly felt that it was Relena's responsibility, but he didn't want Heero in the dark about things, either. Matthew's job had almost always come before Relena, and that had bothered Duo and Hilde both, but there hadn't been anything they could do about it.

Heero was silent for several long seconds, thinking about what Duo had said. "So Matt wasn't physically abusive—"

"He wasn't abusive at all," Duo cut in. "Look, man, he took care of—"

"No, he didn't. If he wasn't there for her when she needed him, then he was being abusive. A husband's first priority should be his wife." Heero's frosty tone left Duo scowling, but he couldn't argue the point. Hilde was always his first concern.

"Okay, you are right about that, Yuy. But Matthew wasn't a jerk. You two would've gotten along. Believe me," Duo said, his deep voice a bit sharp. He refused to let Matthew's good name be disgraced.

"Heero?" He turned at the ultra-soft voice. Relena blinked up at him and he frowned at the fear in her eyes.

"I've gotta go." He hung up on Duo and went to the petite blonde. "What's wrong?"

"I-I had a nightmare." Relena swallowed and looked down at the floor. "Who were you talking to?"

"Duo. You could've called for me." Heero tipped her chin up, surveying her features closely. He didn't like the paleness of her skin, or the dark circles under her violet-blue eyes.

Relena shrugged. "I wanted to get up, anyway," she murmured and attempted to walk by him, but he wasn't having any of that.

He wanted answers, and he knew she was the only one who could give them. As loathe as he was to bother her, he had to know.

"Relena, we need to talk."

"About what?" Her eyes met his, and he softened his blue gaze a little. After all, it wasn't like she was in trouble or anything.

"About your relationship with Matt." He took her hand to lead her down the hall, but she resisted, causing him to give her a curious look. "What?"

"What do you want to know?" Her tone was already defensive, and Heero's Prussian eyes cooled. What was she hiding? "And why?" she added, her lips twisted in a petulant scowl.

"I want to know how he treated you. I want to know why you were so scared in my Jeep yesterday. And I want to know why you're afraid of me leaving you," he said, and his grip on her hand tightened. "So come on," he added, turning to walk down the hall.

Relena paled even more but obediently followed him. She wasn't ready yet to talk about those things with Heero, but she also knew how stubborn he was. He would get the answers he wanted.

Heero sat her down on the couch and sat next to her. "Okay. Start talking."

"Heero, I know you're anxious to have your questions answered, but this isn't easy for me."

"Me either," he told her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But I need to know what happened to you in your past." Heero's tone was soft and encouraging, but she saw the hint of determination, however subtle, in his dark blue eyes.

"Okay. Um, well..." Relena looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath. She could do this. Heero was here, and he had become a solid anchor in this growing storm in her life. "You want to know about Matt and I." Another pause, another shoring up of courage. "He always treated me well. Really well. But...our marriage was sometimes more like a business arrangement. Our vacations were never really ours. Matt always had business he needed to attend to, and our vacations usually got cut short."

"Then he wasn't treating you well." Heero knew she had loved, and still did love, Matt, but he refused to stay silent. Relena had deserved so much more from her husband.

Relena's eyes sparked and she took her hand from his. "Heero, you don't have the right to judge him. He was never abusive to me."

"Did he hurt you when you were in the Jeep?" His voice was low and ice-calm. He wasn't going to be argumentative, but he wanted certain things answered, no matter how upset she got.

"What?" Relena's eyes widened. "How can you ask me that?"

"Why can't I? Just answer me." A smooth growl punctuated the short words.

She started to get up but Heero grasped her right wrist, keeping her still. She knew he was only asking out of deep concern, but the fear of that particular day was still hard to deal with. "It wasn't Matt, Heero. It was a friend of his. Matt's Jeep was in the shop, and his friend offered to let us ride with him on a new trail. We went with him, but he was being really reckless and the trail was too rough. His friend rolled the Jeep, and I was pinned under it for almost three hours," she said, her voice a shadow in the cozy room.

Heero's kindling anger fled and he pulled her into a warm hug, holding her close to his strong chest. He'd been in a Jeep rollover before, and knew how scary they were. "I'm sorry, Relena. I shouldn't have bullied you into telling me. I just—"

"I'm sorry you thought Matt had done something. He would never have hurt me, never. I trusted him like I trust you," she told him, pulling back a little so she could look at him. The warm sincerity in her eyes made his chest ache, and he lowered his mouth to hers, his kiss full of longing and desire, and she sighed against him, opening herself to him, letting him in. Heero reached up to tangle his right hand in her lush mane of wild honey, holding her head still and steady.

Their kiss ended only when he felt her draw back for breath. Her face was flushed, her eyes hazy and wide. Heero's own eyes were soft, reflecting everything he was feeling for her. "I'm glad you trust me," he said, and his voice was nothing more than a whisper. But he still had one question, and he asked, "Why are you so afraid of me leaving? If you trust me so much—"

Relena moved away from him. "Because everyone's always leaving me."

Heero frowned and touched her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Relena told him. "My brother is overseas. My parents don't really make any effort to see me. Duo and Hilde were supposed to stay in California. Matt...died." Her voice had grown shaky, and Heero knew he had to be careful. He wanted to reassure her, but no one had control over their fate. Only God knew when a person would die. There just wasn't any way he could promise to always be at her side, as much as he wanted to.

"Honey, no one lives forever—"

"You think I don't know that?" Her tone was icy, but her gentian eyes flashed as she turned to face him. "I know I can't blame him for dying, no matter how much I wanted to at first. I just...it just seems like when I really need someone, there's no one to talk to. I mean, I can always call Duo and Hilde, or my brother, but...Matt never liked to talk. He always said I was smart enough to figure things out on my own. And he never liked going to big social functions with me. I was almost always left on my own." Her initial anger had died away as she talked, leaving only a hurting frustration in its place.

"You have me now," Heero told her softly. "Whenever you need to talk. Whenever you need a date. Whenever you just need...me."

"Heero..." Relena pressed herself back into his waiting arms, her head going to his sturdy shoulder. "Thank you, handsome."

"You're welcome."

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Sorry for the extra-long delay. Hope this keeps you satisfied for a little while, at least.

-Red


	13. Who's the Man?

Bandai and Sunrise hold the rights to _Gundam Wing_ and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Twelve: Who's the Man?

"So, you up for this, Lena?" Duo asked his friend, a teasing tone to his deep voice. "We ride pretty fast."

Relena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Um, remember how much of a speed freak Matt was? I think I'll be fine. Besides, Heero will take care of me." There was convincing trust in her voice, and Duo grinned. Relena and Heero were officially dating now, and had grown much closer in the last month and a half. It was mid-May, on a warm Saturday afternoon, and the gang had gathered for a motorcycle ride, the first of the year. Relena was very much looking forward to it.

"Everyone all set?" Quatre asked, glancing around at everyone. He had his right arm around Cathy, and could feel the excited tremble in her slender body. She was as ready to go as he was.

"Let's go," Wufei said, tugging his black helmet on. He wore jeans, black boots, and a red and black leather jacket emblazoned on the back with a red Chinese dragon. Sally was similarly attired. They owned a Honda Shadow that gleamed with chrome and red paint. It was a sharp bike.

"Yeah, we're ready," Trowa said, turning to his and Middie's bike, a Kawasaki Vulcan. Middie smiled up at him and kissed his cheek, anxious to get on.

"Okay, let's roll," Quatre agreed, and the couples mounted their machines. Quatre got on first and steadied the Harley for Cathy, but the nimble young woman didn't need help. She was a very experienced rider.

Heero started his Vulcan as he felt Relena wrap her arms around him. "Hang on," he told her over the steady roar of the big bike.

"I will." She leaned against him for a moment, then settled back a bit, her heart racing in anticipation. Riding was a hobby she had always enjoyed, and this would be a bigger joy, going with the other couples. She and Heero had been out several times by themselves, and that had been fun, but a group was even better.

At least she had always thought so.

She wasn't sure what her new boyfriend thought.

The group rolled out of Quatre and Cathy's driveway led by the blonde and his wife, and everyone was smiling, even the usually stoic Heero and Trowa. They picked up speed and everyone settled into a comfortable riding position. Heero kept pace beside Trowa, while Wufei and Duo matched speeds behind them.

Relena laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself. She hadn't felt this carefree since...well, she honestly couldn't remember. She had pulled her long locks back into a low ponytail that trailed down her back, and could feel the end whipping around. It was a very familiar sensation. The scenery was a nice blur if she let her eyes unfocus, and Heero was a solid bulk in front of her, comforting and strong.

They rode for nearly an hour before pulling off for lunch, which was a rushed affair, since everyone wanted to keep going. Heero pulled Relena close for a few moments before getting back on the Vulcan, his lips eager against hers. He couldn't believe how much he was enjoying himself; he would never have predicted that he'd be dating again already. The ride lasted for another two hours, and then the couples split, each heading home. Heero took Relena back to his place. They'd been spending more time there; his house always felt more like a home whenever she was present. They put the Vulcan away and went into the house, Relena laughing at some joke Heero had picked up from Trowa earlier in the day.

"I can't believe it," Relena gasped, holding her side. "_Trowa_ actually told you that?"

Heero smirked and took two bottles of water out of the fridge. "You'd be surprised. He's not as..." Heero searched for the right word.

"Stuffy?" Relena suggested, taking a bottle from him. "Thanks, sweetie."

"Welcome. Yeah, I guess stuffy fits. I was thinking more like _quiet_, but stuffy works," Heero said, nodding. He slid his leather jacket off and threw it across one of the chairs. "Hungry?"

"What do you have?" Relena asked, teasing him. He narrowed his blue eyes and stepped to the freezer, reaching in to take out two big steaks. His girlfriend's eyes lit up and she unconsciously wet her rose lips, making Heero grin as he held the steaks for her to see.

"Oh, nothing that _you_ would like," he said and carried them to the microwave to defrost. He heard Relena's light steps on the hardwood floor and spun around, making her squeal as he lifted her into his arms. "Gotta be quieter than that," he said, a twinkle warming the deep depths of his Prussian blues.

"Oh, ha," she grumbled, squirming. "Put me down."

"Not until you say it," he told her, grinning. Relena had been trying to sneak up on him for the past two weeks, but his hearing and reaction time were just too fast for her.

"I won't say it."

His eyes narrowed to diamond slits. Diamond slits with a precocious twinkle. "Oh yeah?" His fingers found the softness of her lower ribs and attacked. "You better say it," he warned, "or no steak."

"N-no...I-I...I-I w-won't..." Relena was gasping for breath now, and she knew he wouldn't give up. Heero was completely ruthless. "F-fine...y-you're t-the m-man..." Heero immediately eased up and set her on the floor, steadying her with a hand on her elbow.

"Now, was that so hard?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Relena glared at him. "Yes. And you know what? I really don't think _you're_ the man. I think maybe Quatre—" She broke off as Heero's mouth captured hers fiercely and one hand tangled itself in her hair as he let her ponytail loose. Relena gave in to his demands, sighing against his mouth as it continued plundering hers. When he finally eased away, her breathing was labored and her eyes glazed over.

"You still think Quatre's the man?" he whispered, his breath hot in her ear. Relena rested her forehead against his chest and shook her head. "Good. Don't you ever forget who the man is." He put his arms around her and squeezed gently. "Now get out of my way so I can cook," he softly ordered, and Relena turned away and sat down at the table, her head still caught up in a whirl.

No, she certainly wouldn't forget, anytime soon at least, who the man was.

**Gundam Wing**

They ate dinner that night out on Heero's back porch, enjoying both the food and each other. The night had turned cooler, and Relena had Heero's old Lions sweatshirt on. It was too big, but he loved seeing her in it.

"So, did you have fun today?" he asked, taking a drink of his Killians. He had finished eating and was leaning back in his chair as he watched Relena.

"I did. I really like riding with everyone," she said, nodding. She shivered and added, "I'm okay," knowing he'd be worried that she was too cold.

"Me too." Heero closed his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. It had been a fun day, and he had loved being out on the bike, but right now, with darkness sliding in to end the sun's reign and his beautiful girlfriend next to him, he knew it couldn't get any better.

A sharp noise off to the right and behind him brought his attention around, and he stood, his body tensing. Coyotes were sometimes a problem, but lately he'd heard other noises that he couldn't blame on the wild mutts. "Honey, go in the house," he said, his tone low and serious. Relena got up and started to go in when there was a louder noise, punctuated with snapping twigs. She froze, her eyes glued on her boyfriend as he inched toward her, his own eyes on the woods to the right of him.

"Heero?"

He glanced at her. "Go," he whispered, gesturing toward the sliding door. Relena went in, easing through the door as Heero followed her. He shut the slider and turned to her. "Stay inside, whatever happens," he directed, his eyes a stormy blue. "Promise me."

"Heero—"

"_Promise me_."

She nodded, feeling sick to her stomach. "I promise. But what are you going to do?" she asked, following him down into the basement. He took a small key from a peg board and unlocked his gun case, withdrawing a Beretta. "Heero! What are—"

"Just stay inside." He went back upstairs with Relena following, mumbling beneath her breath. In this way, Heero was the same as Matt: determined to protect her with no explanation needed. It was very exasperating.

Heero went out the front door and walked cautiously around the side, straining his eyes and ears. He knew there were mountain lions in the area, thanks to a program initiated by the DNR to eliminate some of the excess deer population, but it wasn't a big cat that'd been making the noise.

Big cats were stealth in tawny camouflage.

This noise-maker was not.

He waited for several seconds in the darkness until he caught it: a slight movement on the edge of the trees, a flash of something shiny in the air. Heero smirked and went forward in a crouch. He had the person. But when the person began to run, Heero knew he had to be quicker, because he was losing ground – fast.

"Stop!" he yelled, knowing his cover was already blown. He considered firing a shot, but thought better of it. He didn't really need the gun for intimidation – his anger would take care of that. The person, a man Heero judged by the movements, disappeared into some shadows on the other side of the road and Heero paused, wary now. Who was he chasing? Why had the guy been traipsing around in his woods?

He sighed and turned to go back to the house. It was a lost cause, chasing someone around in the woods at night. And he didn't want to leave Relena alone, either. He started jogging back into his yard when an engine roared into life, and a dark-colored truck tore out of the woods on the other side and onto the road. Heero swore and started running. If he could just catch up and get the license number—

But the truck shifted direction, its dim headlights aiming toward him. Heero threw himself to the side as the vehicle raced past, the gears grinding as the driver swung around, trying to run him down. Heero heard Relena scream and cursed, hoping she had the good sense to stay out of it.

He could handle this.

The truck wasn't full-sized – Heero caught sight of the Ram insignia – so it was pretty nimble as it came around again, headlights swerving, trying to bathe him a yellow glow. Heero was on his feet, bringing the Beretta up, targeting the back left tire—

The truck was coming too fast, the driver having lost some control as the back end drifted around. Heero managed to dodge the vehicle but lost his footing and fell heavily, the gun flinging beyond his reach. He got to his knees but the truck was already back on-course and coming hard, accelerating, dirt flying as all four tires sunk in and pushed, and his heart stopped, there wasn't time, he couldn't clear the path—

"No!" Relena's panicked cry split the air as she leapt into the pathway of the truck and threw her hands up, the Lions sweatshirt hanging off her slender body like some grotesque bullfighter's flag. Before Heero could yell or get her out of the way or do _something_ to save her, the truck twisted away, missing her by inches. She sank to her knees in relief as the truck drove off down the road at a breakneck speed, away from the scene of its near-grisly crime.

"Relena!" Heero was at her side in seconds, crouched down, gathering her into his arms. She was pale, her breathing accelerated, her body trembling. Heero held her tight, his heart pounding. "Shh, honey. It's over," he whispered softly. Relena began to calm down, and when Heero saw that she was unharmed, only then did his anger take over.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he growled, his demeanor changing as he helped her to her feet. "You could've been killed!" Heat burned deep in his eyes, and Relena moved away from him, collecting herself.

She had known this would be his reaction.

"Heero, I-I just reacted. I didn't want anything to happen to you," she tried explaining, biting her bottom lip.

Heero walked to her and gripped her shoulders. His face was seconds from hers. "You scared me, Relena. I've never been that scared – no, terrified – in my life! If that truck had hit you, I, I..." He couldn't say anything else. He was shaking, and he let go of her, turning away.

Relena felt tears slide down her cheeks before she'd even realized she was crying. "Oh, _you_ were scared, Heero? You don't even _know_ scared! What about me, huh? Was I just supposed to stand there and watch the guy I love get killed? Huh? I already lost Matt! I wasn't going to lose _you_, too!" She was screaming now, her voice high-pitched, her fists clutched at her chest as she broke down into sobs.

Heero felt tears at the corners of his eyes and blinked fast and hard. He refused to cry, not when she needed him to be strong. Turning back to her, he reached out but Relena jerked away, and he saw the angered hurt in her gentian eyes – an angry hurt that _he_ had put there. "Baby, I'm sorry. I just – I can't help how I reacted, Relena. You mean the world to me," he offered, his voice as gentle as he could make it right then. He didn't approach her again, though. He wasn't able to give her that much.

He was still too upset.

"I-I'm sorry, too, but not for jumping in front of that truck," she said, swallowing down some of her anger. She wrapped her arms around her torso and stared at the ground.

Heero watched her for several long seconds, his mind unable to stop rerunning the cutting image of her in front of the rampaging vehicle. He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "I'm sorry you were scared. But you still shouldn't have done that. I was getting out of the way."

"What?" Relena's gaze hit him hard. "Are you _serious_, Heero? You were almost flat on your back!"

"I had it," he growled harshly, staring her down.

"Ooh! Men!" Relena stomped past him, her arms folded over her chest. She was at the door of her Mini when she finally looked at him over her left shoulder. "You can call me when you decide to grow up." Then she was gone, the whine of the Mini's engine a pest in his ears.

"Idiot." Heero cursed loudly and went back inside after picking up the gun. He forced himself to calm down and then gathered their dirty dishes from the back porch, dumping them into the sink. He'd deal with all that later. Going into the living room and throwing himself down onto the couch, he groaned. Who had tried to run him down? What had the guy had in his hands? And why was he spying on him and Relena?

_Relena._ _I am such an idiot. She was worried about me. And she thought she'd lose me like she did Matt. _He sighed and clicked on the TV. _I should call her and apologize, but I'm still too worked up. I wouldn't sound sincere. _He thought back to their earlier bike ride, and the joking around in the kitchen, and swore again.

_Yeah, Yuy._ _You sure are the man._

_Idiot._


	14. Patching Things Up?

Bandai holds the rights to _Gundam Wing _and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Thirteen: Patching Things Up?

Sean Harris sighed, the sound deep and low. He stared at the phone in his hand, cursing his luck. The private detective he'd hired had finally tracked down Relena, and while that had made Sean's day, her new location had not.

_Michigan. Of all places to be. Clear across the country._ He swore again and stood, finishing off his Starbucks. And that wasn't the only problem. Relena was dating someone. Someone named Heero Yuy. The private investigator had gotten some pictures of them together; Sean glanced at the photos on his desk and felt rage creep through him. How could Relena, _his_ Relena, be with someone else?

And then the PI had gotten sloppy, and Heero (_what a stupid name_, Sean groused) had seen him. Well, not really, the PI had insisted, because it'd been dark, but it was enough. And what was worse, if it could get worse, the detective had tried to run Heero down.

_Stupid._ _That was just plain stupid. _Sean rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He had to get Relena back. He ached to hold her again, to run his fingers through her long honey locks. If he couldn't have her, then his whole plan had been for naught.

Matt's death had been for naught.

Sean picked up his phone. He had connections in the publishing world. If Relena was coming to the West Coast next month, like he suspected she would be for Windsor Publishing's big soiree, he would see her there. And she would realize that she belonged to him, and not some lowly construction worker from Michigan.

**Gundam Wing**

"So you've _been_ hearing noises?" Duo glanced at Heero the next morning. Heero and his coworkers went out for breakfast every Sunday. It was a nice tradition, but one that he sometimes wished he could skip.

"Yeah." Heero swallowed down some coffee. "But those were from a mountain lion." He accepted his breakfast from the teenaged waitress. "Thanks." She blushed and nodded, and he almost rolled his eyes, but didn't.

"You're sure?" Trowa asked, his voice low.

Heero shifted in his seat. "Yes, Trowa, I'm sure. I've seen cougars at my place before." There was irritation in his tone – he didn't like being questioned.

"Okay." Trowa bent his head to eat, while Quatre, Wufei, and Duo exchanged looks.

"And why did you and Relena get into the fight?" Quatre asked, a friendly tone in his voice. He knew that he alone could really push the stoic man for an answer, and he intended to.

Heero sighed. "Alright, alright. After I heard the noise, I had Relena go inside and I got one of my guns—"

"A gun?" Trowa's head came up at that. "Why?"

Heero's steely Prussian blues met Trowa's one visible emerald one. "Let me finish the story." Trowa shrugged, as if it were of no importance to him. "So I went back out and saw the guy go across the road..." Heero finished the story six minutes later, including the fight with his girlfriend. When he was done speaking, his four friends just stared at him.

"Wow. So who do you think the guy was?" Quatre finally asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Someone who shouldn't have been spying on us." Heero took a bite of his scrambled eggs.

"More importantly, did you get the license number?" Wufei asked, leaning forward, his dark eyes sparking in anger. He couldn't believe someone had deliberately tried to run down one of his best friends. It went against the Chinese man's refined senses of justice and fairness.

Heero shook his head. "No. It was a Dakota, but that's all I know." He looked down, away from the probing gazes of his friends. He knew they were concerned; he would be concerned if it had happened to one of them, but right now he just wanted to be left to his thoughts.

Thoughts of how to talk to Relena.

"You'll have to talk to her." This advice from Quatre. His aqua eyes held sympathy. "She'll want to talk to you."

Heero glanced at Duo. The chestnut-haired man was staring hard at his toast, his jaw clenched. Heero's eyes narrowed – he knew Duo was upset with him, but what did the braided man want? Relena should never have gotten in the way of the truck. But, she'd been protecting him, and it _had_ worked. The driver had swerved out of the way...

Was it someone they knew? Someone not happy with them being together? Heero sat back, his food mostly untouched. The others, including Duo, watched him carefully. Heero rose to his feet and gave them a brief nod before leaving. He paid quickly and left the restaurant.

But Duo wasn't letting him get away that easily. "Yuy," he called, following his friend out to where their bikes were parked. Heero was putting his helmet on, not paying him any attention. "You have to find out who—"

"You think I won't?" Heero turned to his friend, a snarl in his low voice. "Believe me, I will."

"And you have to patch things up with—"

"I will. That's where I'm going, so get back." Heero swung onto his Vulcan, started the bike, and drove off, leaving Duo behind with a frown on his handsome face.

_Make it right, Yuy. Make it right. _

**Gundam Wing**

Relena hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She felt bad for leaving Heero the way she had; she knew she should've stayed and talked to him, but his strong belief that he had been right had irritated her. And now, she was somewhat afraid to call him. What if he was still angry at her? What if he didn't want to talk?

She looked at her computer screen, wishing she could concentrate on her story. But all she saw was her boyfriend's face, the strong lines of his jaw, the deep blue eyes that could burn with anger or melt with concern, and the lock of chocolate hair that forever shadowed his forehead. She scowled and tried to push the image aside. There was serious writing to be done.

Her thoughts wandered ahead to the big party Windsor was throwing. She didn't particularly want to go, but knew she had to. It was part of being a big-time suspense novelist. Going back to California would be hard; she and Matt had had their life there, and she hadn't been back since...Relena paled. Even after all this time, Sean's attack still frightened her. Even more so than Ben's had.

"Relena."

She jumped and spun toward the door of the cluttered office, her gentian eyes widening. Heero stared down at her, an unreadable look in his eyes. "You scared me," the honey blonde accused and turned away. Now that he was here, she wasn't ready to talk.

"I'm sorry." The words were not easily spoken; Heero nearly had to spit them out. He still felt she had done a stupid thing, but he understood why she had done it.

Relena inhaled and let the breath hover in her lungs before softly exhaling. She looked up at him. Part of her accepted the apology. Most of her wanted a better one. "You could've been killed."

He nodded, leaning against the door frame. "Yeah."

Relena raised a slender eyebrow. "And?"

"I said yeah." Heero narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze never leaving his. "So that's it, then? You aren't going to admit that you needed my help?" Her tone was frigid, and her eyes glittered.

Heero took a deep breath. He'd had his share of arguments with Sylvia, too, but Syl had usually found it easier to give in. Relena clearly wasn't going to, and while that annoyed him, he also admired her for it. "Love, listen to me. Whether or not I needed help isn't the issue—"

"Oh, I think it is, Heero. Big tough guy doesn't need help from his weak little girlfriend—"

"Who said you're weak?" Heero growled and backed her up against the nearest overflowing bookcase. Her eyes flared as he reached up and caught her face in his hands. "You are not weak. Strong-willed, but definitely not weak." His mouth was on hers then, and this kiss was hot, searing her lips, rendering her motionless, her thoughts in turmoil. Heero didn't immediately ease away, either. He wanted her to feel everything _he_ was feeling. "I love you, Relena. Forgive me for wanting to protect you," he whispered, his mouth still nearly covering hers.

Relena gasped for breath, her body still caught up in the whirlwind Heero's kiss had thrown it into. When she could finally focus, she murmured, "That's playing dirty, handsome."

Heero smirked and nodded. "I know." Then he turned away and glanced back over one broad shoulder. "Come on." The command was gently spoken, and she had no choice but to follow. He led her into the living room and motioned for her to sit. "Do you know anyone with a Dodge Dakota?" The question caught her off-guard, but she could tell where he was going with it.

"No. Heero, do you honestly think it was someone we know?" Relena asked, voice unsure. Heero nodded, chocolate hair falling over his eyes.

"Have you had any contact with Sean?" He saw that the question had startled her, but he refrained from going to her.

"No, I haven't. B-but why would he come after you? I mean, it just seems so—"

"Farfetched? It would make sense, love, after what you've told me about him. He's clearly obsessed with you," Heero pointed out. "And he may have found out where you are."

Relena's face went white, and he did go to her then, wrapping his strong arms around her. Relena pressed hard against him, needing to feel his protective strength.

"Honey, I promise, he won't hurt you. I won't let him," he told her, his tone convincing. "But we should consider the possibility that he's found you. He could've hired a detective—" Relena broke away from him, pushing him away and getting to her feet. "Relena?"

"Stop. I-I can't think about it." She shook her head, suddenly feeling like the walls of her world were collapsing in on her. If Sean was behind the attack, what else would he try to do? What lengths would he go to? She heard Heero rise from the couch and moved further from his reach. "Just, just give me some time, sweetie. Please," she added, finally turning to meet his concerned gaze.

"Honey, if he has found you, then you need to face it. I know it's hard, but I'm here. Duo and Hilde, and the others, are here," Heero said, and he knew the firm ring of his voice hurt her. He could see it in her eyes, but he wasn't letting her pretend nothing was wrong.

He didn't work that way.

"Heero, how, how can I...how can I face him? A-after what he did..." She couldn't continue. She already knew that if Sean had indeed found her, he'd want to see her, and she just didn't think she could do that.

Heero's eyes narrowed a little. "You won't have to face him alone, Relena. You know I'd never make you do that." It irked him a little that she thought she'd be on her own with Sean. Didn't she believe in him? Believe that he would protect her against anyone or thing that threatened her?

"I know you wouldn't," she assured him, wrapping her arms around her slim torso. Sunlight streamed into the living room, warm and inviting, but she couldn't shake the foreboding chill that something was very wrong. "I think that we'll see him in California," she said, and he noted the tremble in her voice. "He's worked for several publishers, and I'm pretty sure he'll be at the Windsor party."

Heero stepped to her and put his hands on her shoulders. When he spoke, his voice cascaded over her warmly, gentle and strong at the same time. "Then we'll face him together, honey." She tried to smile, but it faded and she buried her face in his chest.

He held her then, tightly. _I promise, love. Sean Harris will never bother you again. Not after I get through with him._

**Gundam Wing**

"So everything's okay between you guys?" Hilde asked Relena later that night. The two women had gone out for dinner together, and Relena very much appreciated the time alone with another woman.

"Yes."

Hilde frowned, her sapphire eyes showing her distrust. "Really? You don't sound too sure." She stirred her iced tea, one elbow resting on the round table. The restaurant was quiet, with few patrons and even fewer staff.

Relena looked down at her club sandwich, absently picking crumbs off the bread. "Well, he didn't really apologize. I mean, I know he's sorry for getting so upset, but I wanted him to admit that he needed my help."

Hilde smiled, the smile evolving into a giggle. "Lena, sweetie, Heero's a _guy_. He's not going to admit he needed your help, no matter how much you want him to. And he wants to protect you. He _is_ your boyfriend."

Relena made an unlady-like noise and rolled her eyes. "I know, Hilde. And I want Heero to protect me. But..." She broke off and sighed. "Heero thinks that Sean might've had something to do with last night."

"Sean?" Hilde's voice conveyed both anger and horror. "Do you think he knows you're here?"

"Heero said he thinks so." Relena leaned toward her friend, her voice lowering. "Sean will probably be at that publishing house party I have to go to."

"Please tell me you aren't going, then." Hilde's blue eyes flared when Relena nodded. "But Lena—"

"Heero's going with me." There was worry in the honey blonde's voice. "But I'm afraid something will happen. I don't want them to fight."

"I say let Heero beat the snot out of him," Hilde said, definite determination in her voice. "Seriously, Lena. It's only what Sean deserves."

Relena sipped at her lemonade. Their waitress appeared with the check, which Relena insisted on picking up, over her friend's noisy protests. The women left the restaurant together, and Relena felt anxious to get home, although she doubted she'd feel comfortable there, even though Heero was staying in the guest room. She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before.

"Lena?"

"Yeah?"

Hilde reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Honey, relax. Everything will work out okay. Just remember, Heero will be there for you. He'll take care of you." _And if he doesn't, Duo and I will kill him._

Relena smiled, her face smoothing and gentling out. She hugged Hilde hard, appreciating her and her comforting words. "Thanks, Hilde. And I do trust Heero. I just hope that Sean doesn't cause any problems."

"Once he sees Heero, I doubt he will. By the way, when is the party?"

"Not until next month." Relena gave her another smile. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, and thank you again."

"No problem. Now go home, curl up on the couch with your boyfriend, and relax. And _no_ working," Hilde said, and her grin was infectious. Relena often wished she had the spunky woman's personality.

As she drove out to her cottage, she tried not to think back on the night before. _If it was someone working for Sean, then I'm probably safe. Sean won't want me harmed. _But that wasn't very reassuring. She didn't want Heero injured, either. She turned up the heat in the Mini, shivering as a coldness slithered over her body, squeezing her.

She had the distinct feeling that things would only get worse.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Thank you for all the encouragement and reviews. There isn't much more to tell in this particular story, so yes, we're quite close to the finish. And after that...I am probably going to take a break from writing _Gundam Wing_ stories. I have a couple of new interests to write fan fiction for, and I'm working hard on my teen novel...but Heero and Relena never stray far from my heart, so I will eventually swing back through this way...

-RedLion2


	15. Nothing More

_Gundam Wing_ and its characters belong mostly to Bandai. I own nothing.

Set Me Free

Chapter Fourteen: Nothing More

"You sure you're not nervous?" Relena asked, glancing for a second at her boyfriend. He looked marvelous, in her opinion, in his black tux and charcoal tie. He personally thought he looked ridiculous.

"Yeah." Heero gave a quick nod. Him, nervous? Because of a publicity party? How big could it be? Ten minutes later, he understood the reason for her question. The ball room was fantastically huge, and people swirled and melded together to form a shimmering mass of color that never ceased moving. Heero stood still, near the doors, for a long moment, taking everything in.

"Relena! Darling, how good to see you!" Anne Khushrenada rushed to Heero's girlfriend and air-kissed both of her cheeks. "You look fabulous, dear. Just fabulous!"

The honey-blonde gave her agent a hug, a big smile on her face. "It's good to see you too, Anne." Relena reached for her boyfriend's hand. "Anne, this is Heero Yuy. Heero, my agent and good friend, Anne Khushrenada."

Anne took all of Heero in, slowly eying him, up and down, back up, her eyes finally raising to meet his own scrutinizing gaze. The agent smiled, and Heero gave a small nod. "So please tell me that you've missed this all so much that you're moving back," Anne said, turning her sharp gaze back on Relena.

"Well, I've missed you and Treize, of course, but not so much the rat race," she said, smiling. But there was a glow about her, a sparkle and shine in her violet-blue eyes that Heero had never seen before, and it made him want to carry her off, put her on a plane, and take her back to Michigan.

Anne laughed. "Oh, but it's missed _you_, darling. Everyone's always asking about you. I've tried telling them that you ran away to Paris, but they don't believe it."

Relena laughed too, and it made Heero's lips twitch a bit. It was good to hear her laughter; there hadn't been much since the attack at his house, and he hoped that while they were here he could finish what he was sure Sean had started.

"Anne?"

"Treize!" Relena quickly hugged the tall, dark-haired man, who smiled serenely and hugged back. "It's so good to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Relena. And this must be Heero. I'm Treize, Anne's long-suffering husband." His voice was genteel, collected, but there was great fondness in it as well. Heero shook hands with him.

"Nice to meet you. Heero Yuy," he said. Treize nodded and opened his mouth, but his cell rang and he turned away, with no apology. Heero shrugged mentally. It was a busy life out here. He glanced around, surveying the crowd with a cool Prussian gaze, wondering if any of the men he saw was Sean.

Relena saw Heero gazing around and frowned a little. She knew what he was doing, what he was thinking, and didn't like it. "Heero?"

He looked at her, resplendent in a shimmering blue dress that complemented everything about her, and a small twinkle flashed momentarily in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Don't, okay? I know exactly what you're thinking about, and I just want you to relax and have a good time," she said, touching his arm.

Heero frowned. "I am, Relena." _But I'm going to make Sean pay for everything he's ever done._

"Right." But she softened the sarcastic word with a tiny smile. Someone called her name, and he watched as she froze, all color draining from her face, dripping from her chin. He looked behind her, saw the man approaching, and mentally reined himself in. Relena glanced over her shoulder and had to force the smile that had been so easy only moments before.

"Sean. You shouldn't be here." Anne's eyes were ice, and her voice nearly broke with fury.

He raised his hands. "Oh come on, Anne. You can't still be sore about the publicity that last client of yours got," he said, but there was no humor to color his words.

"Sean." Relena moved toward him, and his attention shifted.

"Relena." He came at her with arms open, quite intent on getting his body close to hers, but before they could connect he heard a very hard, completely unyielding voice. One that he had quite expected.

"Do not touch her." Heero spoke the words in a calm tone, but no one could mistake _him_ for being calm. His six-foot-one frame shuddered with restrained anger and protectiveness, and he put his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders, squeezing a little.

"You must be Relena's new boy toy." Sean sounded bored.

"Heero Yuy. And you're the idiot that tried to hurt Relena." Heero's Prussian gaze narrowed and cooled, meeting Sean's slightly angry one.

"I did not try to hurt her. I was merely offering comfort. She was depressed and lonely—"

"You frightened her." Heero was not going to be put off by Sean's pathetic excuses for his unwanted attention.

Sean smiled, cold and calculating, weighing Heero mentally, trying to see what Relena saw in him. Surely this construction worker wasn't a great man. How much money did he make? What year, make, and model did he drive? What was Relena thinking? _Clearly, she isn't. I'm all the man she could possibly want._

Relena wanted to run and hide. She didn't want this confrontation to happen. She was quite safe with Heero here, his strong hands resting like feathers on her shoulders, but she didn't want a scene caused. "Sean, please leave," she said, hating how diplomatic her voice sounded, how empty the words were. "Please."

"Then leave with me, Relena. There's so much we need to talk about," he said, an eagerness in his smooth voice that went straight to her heart. It was the same tone that she remembered from happier days, days when he and Matt would hang out, days she had almost forgotten.

Heero could feel her hesitation, could sense her longing, and he uncorked a little bit of the rage that for so long had been building deep within him. Rage at his situation. Rage at Sean. Rage that was mouthing him, chewing him.

Taunting him.

"You have nothing worth saying to her," he said and stepped around his girlfriend, then in front of her, his arms crossed over his burly chest.

"Why don't you let Relena decide?" Sean asked, his gray eyes cold.

Relena swallowed hard and moved next to Heero. She could feel his hot gaze, and she knew he wasn't going to be happy with her, but she wanted to talk to Sean. She wanted to know if he had sent the man to Heero's house, and if so, why. "Sean, we do need to talk—"

"Relena." Heero's tone was sharp.

She glanced up at him before continuing. "But only if Heero is with us." Her boyfriend relaxed a bit, and looked at Sean to see his reaction.

"Fine, Relena. Shall we say—"

"Tonight, Sean." Her gentian eyes had grown cool and flinty, and her hands were fisted together in front of her. Sean's eyes narrowed, but he nodded.

"Alright. If you think you can get away from your adoring public, we can go back to my apartment," Sean said and took the keys to his Corvette out of his tux pocket.

Relena shook her head, her honey tresses swaying at her shoulders. "No. Your office."

Sean smiled, and she detected an icy wolfishness in it that, had Heero not been next to her, would have made her shudder. "No chance in mixing pleasure with the business, then? What a shame," he purred, and Heero lunged at him, Prussian orbs filled with flames. Sean backed up, his own eyes flush with anger. "No manners, Heero? I suspected as much," he taunted, and he would've had to duck a punch, but Relena intervened, grabbing her boyfriend's arm and tugging.

"Heero, please. Not here," she pleaded, gripping his left forearm as tight as she could. He stopped and finally, after weighing the pros and cons, gave in to her.

"Not here," he agreed and looked down at her. "Let's go."

"Okay." Relena turned to Anne, who had been observing silently. "Anne, we really need to—"

"Go on, darling. You've done your duty by just showing up," her agent said and stepped close to her, whispering, "And you stay out of the way when Heero takes Sean down. You understand?"

"He won't need to do that. We can settle this like the adults we are," Relena whispered back, irritated that her friend thought there would be a fight.

Anne just smiled and hugged her. She watched the couple follow the publicist out of the ball room and a long sigh escaped from her rubied lips.

There was certainly going to be a fight, and of even more certainty, Heero would win.

Anne knew the look in the construction worker's eyes.

**Gundam Wing**

"I wonder how it's going," Hilde said and gazed at the cup of tea in her hands. Duo reached over and ruffled a fond hand through her inky locks.

"I'm sure it's fine, babe," he assured her, and when he heard a snort behind him, turned glaring cobalt eyes on Wufei. The Chinese man glared back.

"What constitutes as 'fine,' Maxwell? If Heero's beating Sean up, I'd say its fine," he said. Sally was leaning against the kitchen counter next to him, and she reached to squeeze his forearm.

"Heero won't resort to violence unless he has to," Trowa cut in from the table. He and Middie sat across from Duo and Hilde. Quatre and Cathy were out entertaining their other guests; their big party was in full swing, but their closest friends were in no mood for it.

"He should," Wufei said. "Sean hurt Relena. Heero doesn't need any other reason." His tone was short and surly – he didn't want to be argued with.

Trowa frowned, his one visible eye narrowing. "Wufei, not every situation where someone was wronged calls for vengeance or retaliation," he said, and felt his wife reach for his hand.

Wufei's dark eyes lit with an anger he wasn't able to quench. "So if some guy attacked Middie, you'd just take it? Huh, Barton?"

"Sweetie, that's enough." Sally spoke in a low but forceful voice. Wufei huffed, but said nothing else. He knew he'd gotten upset when there wasn't anything to get upset over.

Trowa didn't answer. _Of course I'd be upset if something happened to Mid. I love her. But that's why we have the police and a judicial system. _He knew his thoughts would only aggravate Wufei, so he left them unsaid. Middie leaned her head on his shoulder, and he half-smiled. She was his support system.

"We'll know tomorrow," Duo finally said after letting the cold silence stretch for three minutes.

_We'll find out how well Heero held his temper._

**Gundam Wing**

Sean's office was large and extravagant, a testament to his job as a leading LA publicist. He got some wine out of his bar, but Relena and Heero refused, as he had already guessed they would. Settling down in his chair behind his desk, he gestured to Relena. "So talk already."

She shifted in the black leather chair. "I'm just going to be point-blank about this." She shifted again, and could feel Heero's heavy gaze on her. "Last month, someone attacked Heero with a truck and tried to run him over," she said, her blue-violet gaze never wavering from Sean's cold gray one.

"And you think it was me?"

"Yes."

He smiled and leaned forward, as if about to share a conspiratorial secret. "Well, it wasn't. Perhaps Heero has some enemies," he smoothly suggested, glancing at the blue-eyed man. "Someone not happy with a house?"

Heero sat forward, his back ram-rod straight. "I think you're lying, Harris. Why don't you just admit it?"

"Even if I were, I wouldn't admit it to the likes of you, Yuy," Sean said and took a sip of wine. "Relena, sweetheart, why him? Could you find no one more...suitable for you?"

"Sean, stop it. Tell us the truth. Did you hire someone to spy on us?" Relena asked, becoming upset. She hadn't come here to listen to Sean run Heero down.

Sean sat back, considering. She had asked the right question, but should he give her the matching answer? _Poor little girl._ _She doesn't even know that it was _my _car that ran Matt off the road. _So why burden her with truth? But even as he made up his mind not to tell her, he became angry. She would never know the depth of his devotion to her, the things he was willing to do just to have her as his, if he didn't tell her. And why shouldn't he? He eyed the main drawer of his desk. He kept a small handgun there. Not for any particular reason...he made up his mind.

"Relena, even if I had hired someone to do that, I wouldn't have instructed him to run your boyfriend down," he told her but could see she wasn't listening. "What are you—" He broke off as she left her chair and walked to the small table behind him. "Relena—"

"Sean...you _did_ have someone spying on us!" she cried and stared at the photo of her. It had been taken while she was in her back yard. Heero was on his feet and moving toward her when he heard a faint click and froze as Sean grabbed Relena's right arm and held a small-caliber gun to her head.

"Don't try to be a hero...Heero," Sean said, grinning, and Heero felt a shiver of fear go racing through him. Sean was clearly obsessed with Relena, and his obsession was pushing him close to an edge that Heero couldn't let him go over, for fear he'd take his girlfriend as well.

"Sean, please don't do this," Relena said, steeling her nerves. She knew he wouldn't hurt her – that hadn't ever been his intention. But he _would_ hurt her boyfriend, and she just couldn't allow that to happen.

"Shh, sweetheart. This will all be over soon. I will make Heero suffer, just like I did Matt." He heard her gasp. "Oh, I'm sorry. You hadn't realized that, had you? Your sweet Matthew didn't just lose control of his bike, Relena. I _made_ him run off the road," he whispered, and heard her cry out. "Shh, don't cry, darling. I'll make Heero go away and we can be—"

He never got to finish his sickened words of true mad devotion. Distracted by the honey-blonde's cries of horror, he had never seen Heero coming. And it was over before he could react or defend himself.

It wasn't even a contest.

Heero let go of all the rage that he'd been harboring, let loose all the tangled, unintelligible emotions that had been trying to choke him for the last year of his life. Sean was unconscious two strikes into the cold, furious assault, but Heero wouldn't stop, in fact _couldn't_ stop, because his emotions had flooded his systems and shut down all his rationale.

Relena had walked a short distance away and, unable to control the horror and blatant sickness, had collapsed to her knees, her head bent to the burgundy carpet as she wept. And this time her tears were harsher, bitterer. Matt hadn't just died in a random bike accident: he'd been murdered, just as surely if Sean had put that gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

It was her deeply-despairing and breaking-heart sobs that at last brought Heero back into his conscious state of mind. He was breathing hard, and his knuckles hurt like heck. But there was a profound sense of rightness, too. Sean's face was still recognizable, but only to those who knew him best. Heero turned away and looked at his girlfriend, and her crying form broke his heart.

"Relena," he whispered, going to her and kneeling next to her, one hand coming up to touch her hair. She refused to lift her head, and he frowned. "Please, honey, look at me." His voice, while soft, was also insistent, and finally, because his insistence knew no limits, she picked herself up from the carpet and stared into his worried face.

"I-I c-can't..." She broke off, not able to voice the horror and shock and despair that was roiling within her. Heero pulled her into his arms and held her tight against his chest. There was nothing else he could do. Nothing he could offer except his arms and strong, silent comfort.

And there was nothing more, at that very moment, that Relena needed.

**Gundam Wing**

A/N: Only one chapter left, folks. GundamFan, hope you liked this better than the last one. After this story is complete, I will be taking a break from _Gundam Wing_ fan fiction. I will return, most likely with a sequel to this, but not for awhile. Thank you for all the awesome support and reviews.

-RedLion2


	16. Letting Go

Bandai holds the rights to _Gundam Wing _and its characters.

Set Me Free

Chapter Fifteen: Letting Go

Heero parked his rental car just inside the cemetery gates and looked over at Relena. Her honey head was bowed, her hands twisted together in her lap. They had just left the police station where Sean had been taken the night before, and had both given statements. Relena had only said what was absolutely necessary; Heero had never known her to be this quiet, and worry had been pestering his consciousness all morning. He hadn't wanted to bring her here, knowing how hard it would be, but she had insisted.

"You don't have to do this," he said, his voice breaking the strained silence.

"Yes, I do, Heero." Relena climbed out of the car and started toward a gravesite she knew very well, a gravesite she had visited countless times after the accident. Even now, she could find it without having to see; she knew every turn, every path, and yet her stride was uncertain. She had thought all this was behind her – all the pain and disbelief and the feeling that her whole world was collapsing. The only good thing about visiting today was the man quietly following her.

Heero stopped as Relena knelt next to a plain marble gravestone, marked with only Matt's name, birth and death, and the phrase, "Beloved Husband." Heero watched as she reached out and traced the letters, and a cold pain hit his chest like ice. He wanted to protect her from anything that might hurt her, and had thought he could do that, but Sean's shocking revelation had proven he couldn't save her from everything.

"I'm so sorry. I never knew...I let him into my life." Relena's soft voice quivered as she spoke, and fresh, raw tears coursed down her pale face. She wanted to say more, felt there _had_ to be more to say, but the words were all jumbled around each other, and the harder she tried, the more they wouldn't come.

Heero swallowed hard, his body tense as he watched her struggling. She shouldn't have to do this. She'd already been through so much, and he hated seeing her like this. Her tears, though silent, cut to his soul, and he finally couldn't stand back and take it. "Relena," he said softly, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder, feeling her shake.

She reached up and took hold of his large hand, squeezing it, as if to reassure him of something she herself wasn't sure of. She wasn't ready to leave yet. She just couldn't. And she didn't want Heero worrying about her, even though he was. It _was_ nice to have a guy who cared so much about her, but she knew Heero was in pain because of her, too, and that hurt. "I-I'm not ready yet," she whispered and turned to look back at him, her violet blues pleading with him to understand.

Heero sighed internally and touched her tearstained cheek. "Okay. Take all the time you need." His Prussian blues were intensely deep, and Relena felt like she could fall into them and tumble forever. "I'm here if you need me," he added, hoping he didn't sound like he was trying to rush her. That was the very last thing he wanted to do.

"Thanks." The whisper was grateful, and Relena turned again to the grave she had frequented daily for the first six months after the accident, leaving Heero to stand, empty, behind her. He frowned and moved away a small distance. The feeling of intrusion was powerful and heavy. He could hear her murmuring again, but didn't strain to catch the words.

They were not meant for him.

And an overwhelming sense of jealousy at that fact caught him almost totally off-guard. He scowled as he walked further away. It made no sense. Relena was _his_, now, so why should any of this bother him? The air was warm, a bit of a breeze ruffling through his thick chocolate hair, and it annoyed him. He wanted to get away from this place.

Relena glanced toward her boyfriend and a small hint of a smile tapped against her lips. She knew this wasn't at all comfortable for him, and yet here he was, trying to look at ease. Just for her. Tears that had been crystallizing now sprung from her eyes again. How was it she could be blessed with two men who loved her so much? The breeze pushed at her hair, left down today, and an overwhelming sense of peace settled around her, cloaking her in warmness. She brushed gentle fingertips across the inscripted headstone again.

"I love you, Matt. And I'm glad I finally know what really happened that day." A pause, a quiet intake of breath. "I want you to know that I'm happy again, with Heero. He cares so much about me, and he's protective, like you were." Relena closed her eyes. "I love him, Matt, and he'll take good care of me." Her chin quivered and she had to force the last few words. "I have to let you go, now, Matt. But I will never, ever, forget you." Relena sobbed a few times, but the feeling of peace was still there.

She had said what needed to be said.

Heero was back behind her, his blue eyes dark, so dark they looked almost black, and she couldn't read his emotions. He simply stared at her while she rose gracefully to her feet. "Heero? Are you alright?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah." He took a step toward her and reached out a hand, which she took, gratefully. Heero folded her into his arms and wrapped her tight to his chest. Again, like the night before, this was all he could offer her. There were no words, at least none he could think of, that would make any difference in the situation.

But she didn't cry for long, and when she pulled back to look up at him, he was amazed to see how restful she looked, as if she hadn't just endured heartbreak in the last two days. "How do you feel?" he asked, his voice low and as gentle as she'd ever heard it.

"I'm alright." She traced her right fingertips over his jaw, watching as slow heat built in his eyes. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Like I was letting you come alone." He caught her right hand and turned it over, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Are you sure you're ready?"

Relena nodded, shoring up the little courage she had left. She knew this was really the end for her and Matt; her future, and happiness, lay with Heero. "I am."

Heero smiled a little and turned her toward their rental car. As they walked away, he glanced over his left shoulder at Matt's gravesite, and his eyes narrowed as he made Relena's late husband a solemn vow.

_I will take care of Relena, Matt. You don't have to worry about her._

**GUNDAM WING**

A week later, Relena laughed as Duo threw a screaming Hilde into the cool waters of Lake Michigan. "Oh, you think that's funny?" Heero said from behind her, and she squealed as he picked her up and carried her out, effortlessly pitching the honey-blonde into the water. She surfaced, spluttering, and began a splashing advance on him.

"Splash war!" Duo yelled, and he and Heero began to charge the girls, forcing them into retreat.

"Help!" Hilde shouted as she and Relena tried to dodge the boys.

"Coming!" Middie yelled as she, Cathy, and Sally ran into the lake to offer back-up support. Now it was Heero and Duo who had to retreat, but not for long. Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei (grudgingly – he had a good book to read) followed their wives and an all-out struggle began, with neither side weakening. Above them, in a blue sky that stretched forever and further, fat cumulous clouds floated, and a few airliners wrote white trails behind them as they cruised to their destinations.

"Truce?" Middie called out, eying her husband. Trowa shook his wet bangs out of his eyes and smiled.

"Admitting defeat?" he asked in a smirking tone, and her navy blues flashed lightning. _Apparently not_, Trowa thought, grinning now, and kept splashing.

"They're not gonna give up," Duo said, watching his wife. She was helping Relena and Sally gang up on Wufei, who was scowling and uttering words in Chinese.

"Yeah, they will." This from Heero, who sidestepped a charge from Middie and lunged for Relena, catching her about the waist and picking her up.

"Hey! No fair!" she laughingly protested, trying to get down.

"Go ahead. Struggle," he encouraged her, his Prussian eyes twinkling. He carried her away from the others until they were well clear of their friends, then easily set her down.

"You tired of losing?" Relena asked, raising a delicate brow.

"Right. That must be it." He rolled his eyes. "No, I just wanted some alone time." The splashing war was now breaking up, and he smirked to see Wufei heading for the sand and his book. The Chinese man's appetite for literature was insatiable.

"Oh, you did, huh? We _were_ alone all morning," Relena teased, moving away from him. Heero's eyes snapped playfully and a smirk touched the corner of his mouth. He took a step toward her and her eyes widened. "Heero—"

"What?"

"Don't—"

"What?" He lunged for her, but she had anticipated the movement and jerked backward, tripping and falling as Heero went past. He turned and immediately reached down for her, pulling her up. She had swallowed some water and was coughing, but after a quick and close scrutiny, he began to chuckle.

"Oh, why thank you, sweetie," Relena said in a caustic manner, glaring at him.

"Oh, come on. It's your fault," he argued, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "It wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed still."

"Hmph." His girlfriend turned away and began moving toward the shore, knowing full-well he wouldn't let her get far.

Heero grinned and caught her up in a bear hug, careful not to squeeze too hard. Relena didn't struggle; in fact, she just snuggled into his hold, enjoying the feel of his water-slickened skin against her own. "What, no fighting this time?" he teased, a big smirk on his handsome face.

"Not this time," she said, leaning back against him. Heero set her down and turned her to face him, enjoying how the hot sunlight played with her hair. He traced her delicate cheekbones with a fingertip, then cupped her face in his hands and touched his lips to hers, tasting. Tasting, and then devouring. Relena kissed him as passionately as he was her; everything faded from their consciences until their reality was only themselves.

Relena rested her hands on Heero's chest, her gentian eyes closed, her mouth fitted perfectly to his own. She gradually became aware of their surroundings again as Heero eased away, leaving her yearning for more. She could never seem to get enough of him, enough of his touches.

"Feel good?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

She smiled. "Tastes good," she softly corrected. The sun was beginning to glide lower in the sky, turning the water into a burnished turquoise gold, and Relena glanced toward their friends. Duo and Hilde were still in the water, but everyone else had opted for the squeaky warm sand and their extra-long towels.

"Ready to go in?" Heero asked, and she gave a quick nod. He put an arm around her waist, holding her close, and led her onto the beach. The sand was warm beneath their feet, and it squeaked a bit, curling over their toes as they walked. Relena found it a safe feeling, here on the beach, her boyfriend's arm around her, the glow of the sun fading into a violet twilight.

"So who's hungry?" Sally asked as they approached the group.

"Me!" Duo yelled, charging out of the water and shaking his chestnut head, effectively wetting the book Wufei was reading. "Oh, sorry, Wu-man," Duo quickly apologized as his friend started to rise from his chair.

"Idiot. Be careful," Wufei growled, his dark eyes glowing hot with irritation.

"Darling." Sally was mildly reprimanding. She knew how much her husband valued his books, and how quickly agitated he became when bothered while reading. But they were with friends now, and he had to interact. It was the polite thing to do.

Wufei shot a glare at her, then relented and put his book away. "Alright, fine." He got to his feet and strode over to Sally, who was leaning over a big cooler and taking food out of it. "Need help?"

"Sure." Sally smiled at him, her blue eyes warm with love, and he smiled back, his hard gaze softening.

"Whatta we got?" Duo asked, glancing into the cooler.

"Hot dogs, polish dogs, chips, pop..." Sally said, taking out a package of hot dogs.

"I'll get a fire going," Trowa said and took Middie by the hand, leading her over to the pile of wood the group had brought. He took a lighter out of his backpack and flicked it, a flame instantly appearing.

"Be careful," Middie warned, a frown puckering her pretty mouth. Trowa shot a quick smirk her way before touching the flame to a piece of small wood. It caught quickly and brilliantly, causing Middie to gasp. "What did you do to the wood?" she asked, watching as the rest of the pile burst into flaming reds and yellows.

"Just added a little lighter fluid to some of it," Trowa said, grinning when she glared at him. "It moves things along quicker," he offered in explanation, shrugging. "Better stand back, sweetheart."

Middie tossed her head and walked away. She didn't understand why men had to have everything _now_. Trowa just shook his head as she left. He knew she wasn't happy about him using the fluid, but only because she worried that he would hurt himself. Quatre and Heero moved to his sides, all three watching the flames sparkling and jumping.

"It's going to be a nice night," Quatre said, his voice soft. A breeze was picking up, playing through his blonde hair.

"Yeah." Trowa glanced toward Middie, a fond look sliding into his emerald eyes. She was talking to Relena, and both were laughing, probably at his expense. "I'm glad they're happy," he said, gesturing to the girls.

"Me too." Heero let a small smile twist his mouth for a moment. Relena seemed to sense he was watching her and looked over at him, a slight blush darkening her tan. He was glad to see her getting some color; the constant sunshine of the past two months was a good thing for her.

"Relena seems to be doing well," Quatre observed, casually glancing at Heero, who nodded.

"She is," he said, reaching up to run a hand through his tousled locks. "Sean won't ever bother her again." This was said in a growling steel-tone voice.

"Good. She's been through so much." Quatre waved to Cathy, who was helping Wufei and Sally get the food together. "This beach party was a good idea, Heero."

His friend just nodded. He'd figured it would help Relena focus on something other that what she'd learned in LA. He left Trowa and Quatre and walked over to Middie and Relena, settling his hands on his girlfriend's waist and squeezing. She leaned back against him, smiling. Middie winked at them both and headed back to join her own husband.

"So."

"Yes?" Relena sighed, content.

"Happy?" Heero kissed the top of her head.

"Very much, sweetie."

"Yeah?"

Relena turned in his embrace and stared up into the face she had come to know and love in the last five months, and solemnly nodded. "Much more than I could possibly tell you, Heero. You...you've done so much for me," she whispered, and saw his Prussian blues soften and grow warmer.

"You've done a lot for me, too, honey," he said and brought his mouth to hers, gentle and soft, yet still demanding. Relena pressed closer to him, not caring that their friends were right there, not caring about anything except Heero and the way he made her feel. It was with him that she had found her new place in the world, the place where love and acceptance were forever hers.

They had come together during a time of adversity, when their lives had been ripped apart, their realities completely shattered. Heero had become Relena's safe haven, and she had become his. And now, with a future together spread out wide before them, they had done something else for one another, too.

They had set each other free, free from painful and haunting pasts, free from relationships that hadn't been everything they should have been. But now, because they had one another, had found an escape from a bitter, aching loneliness that had almost engulfed them both, they were also free to move on with their life.

A life together.

**GUNDAM WING**

A/N: And there you have it, folks. The final chapter. Thank you all for the amazing amount of support and reviews. You have all made this story a joy to write. I am bidding adieu to this category for now, but rest assured, in due time, I will return. God bless you all.

-RedLion2


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